Mason Graham already has more sacks this season than he did as a Cleveland Browns rookie last year. He took down Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the season opener, and he added another one this Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he got to Baker Mayfield.
It is a highly positive development after Graham posted just one-half sack in 17 games during the 2025 campaign. He also has three quarterback hits after getting just four all of last year.
That is why former Browns player LeCharles Bentley is raving about Graham, who is starting to show traits worthy of the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
“The sack gets the attention, but HOW he got here says a lot about Mason’s growth,” Bentley posted.
The sack gets the attention, but HOW he got here says a lot about Mason’s growth.
They missed the T/E pick game, because LT set wide. All good, he just spins around, maintains contain, bullied the G and made a play.
But I STILL don’t like him… Go Bucks 🤣 pic.twitter.com/nBD8vMFjYa
— LeCharles Bentley (@64AMDG) September 21, 2026
Bentley, an offensive lineman, broke down Graham’s sack of Mayfield, which came on a third-and-15 play with about five minutes left in the second quarter and the game tied 6-6. After heading away from the QB, Graham recovered with a spin move, discarded a blocker, and wrapped up Mayfield for a 6-yard loss.
It was one of three sacks for the Browns against their former quarterback. The defense held Tampa Bay to just one touchdown, keeping them out of the end zone late in the fourth quarter after they reached the Cleveland 13-yard-line looking for a winning score.
Instead, the Browns prevailed 23-19. The defense limited Mayfield to 182 yards on 21-of-34 passing, and intercepted him once. His 73.4 passer rating paled in comparison to the 121.9 Deshaun Watson had for Cleveland.
Interestingly, safeties Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman had the other two sacks for Cleveland, which means Jared Verse still does not have one in his first two games. After having no pressures or hurries against the Jaguars, Verse did get his first QB hit of the season on Mayfield. He also posted just one tackle, giving him five for the year.
Next up for Graham and the Browns is Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, who has been sacked four times but has thrown six TD passes in his first two games of the season.
NEXT: Former Browns WR Sparks Concern With Social Media Post
