The Cleveland Browns kept the ball rolling Thursday night with a 27-24 win over their rival Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a massive win for new head coach Todd Monken and quarterback Deshaun Watson, both of whom have been heavily criticized in recent weeks. Now the Browns sit 3-1 and have won their last three games, previously beating the Buccaneers 23-19 and the Panthers 21-18.
But it wasn't all good news coming out of Cleveland. On Friday morning, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Browns star defensive tackle Mason Graham, who currently leads the team with four sacks in four games, is set to miss "a few weeks" with an MCL sprain and an ankle sprain. Graham suffered the injury during the first quarter of the Steelers game, walking off the field and into the blue medical tent before later being ruled out for the rest of the game.
The MRI revealed that the injury wasn't as severe as initially feared, but it will keep him sidelined for multiple weeks nonetheless. More news: Browns HC Todd Monken Drops Mic After Statement Win Over Steelers Graham was the Browns' first-round pick (No. 5 overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft after a standout college career at Michigan. Over three seasons with the Wolverines, he racked up 108 combined tackles, including 60 solo tackles, 17 tackles for loss, nine sacks, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble.
In his final junior year, he was named a unanimous All-American, first-team All-Big Ten, and Rose Bowl Defensive MVP. The year prior, he won a national championship at Michigan. Yet, despite being widely viewed as a potential generational talent coming into the NFL, Graham's rookie season with the Browns was somewhat underwhelming.
He appeared in all 17 games but finished with just 49 total tackles (28 solo), four pass deflections, and 0.5 sacks. More news: Bears Quarterback Plan Takes Surprising Turn Days Before Jets Game More news: Browns DE Jared Verse Rips Steelers for Playing ‘Dirty,’ Sets Up Heated Rematch He was already well on his way to smashing those totals this season, but now he'll likely miss at least the next few games with the MCL/ankle injury. Thankfully, the Browns have a relatively manageable stretch over the coming weeks, with winnable games versus the Jets, Ravens, Titans, and a rematch against the Steelers.
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