Defensive tackles rarely get the spotlight in the NFL. Their work usually happens in the trenches, absorbing double teams and freeing up others to make the splash plays. When an interior lineman starts piling up sacks, it is a sign that something special is developing. That is exactly what is happening with Mason Graham in Cleveland.
Browns PR’s Dan Murphy shared the stat after Sunday’s 21-18 win over the Carolina Panthers.
“Mason Graham is the first DT to record a sack in each of the first three games to open the season since Akiem Hicks for the Bears in 2020.”
Mason Graham is the first DT to record a sack in each of the first three games to open the season since Akiem Hicks for the Bears in 2020.
— Dan Murphy (@DMurph_BrownsPR) September 27, 2026
Graham has been consistent from the very first snap of the season. He brought down the quarterback once in Jacksonville, again in Tampa Bay, and then saved his best performance for the home opener with 2 sacks against the Panthers.
That gives him 4 sacks through 3 games, a remarkable pace for a player who lines up inside and faces constant attention from guards and centers.
His biggest play on Sunday came at a critical moment. Graham sacked Bryce Young on a 4th-down attempt, ending a Carolina drive and helping the Browns hold the Panthers to 0 for 3 on 4th down for the afternoon.
This is the kind of impact Cleveland envisioned when it selected him 5th overall in 2025 out of Michigan. At 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, Graham has the strength to anchor against the run and the quickness to collapse the pocket, and he is still only 23 years old.
His emergence could not come at a better time. After Myles Garrett was traded to the Rams, the biggest question surrounding this defense was where the pass rush would come from.
Most assumed Jared Verse would be the answer, but Verse is still searching for his first sack. Graham has stepped into that void and become the most reliable source of pressure on Mike Rutenberg’s defense.
The Browns finished with 3 sacks against Carolina and held an offense that had been averaging 33.5 points per game to 18.
Graham’s next chance to extend the streak comes Thursday night when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit Cleveland in primetime. A strong showing against a division rival on a national stage would only add to the growing belief that the Browns have found the cornerstone of their post-Garrett defense.
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