If there was any bit of bad news coming out of the Cleveland Browns’ inspiring 27-24 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night, it was the first-quarter injury suffered by Mason Graham. The defensive tackle was having a breakout season following an underwhelming rookie campaign, with his four sacks tied for second in the NFL entering Week 4.
Graham got his leg twisted in a pile and immediately left the game. He headed to the locker room with all of the worst fears in play.
But according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Browns got relatively good news from a major injury update on Graham, who is expected to “miss a few weeks” with a sprained MCL and ankle.
“Browns DL Mason Graham, a standout who leads the team in sacks, is expected to miss a few weeks with an MCL sprain and ankle sprain, sources say based on the preliminary evaluation. The MRI revealed some good news, with hopes that it’s not a long-term injury,” Rapoport posted.
#Browns DL Mason Graham, a standout who leads the team in sacks, is expected to miss a few weeks with an MCL sprain and ankle sprain, sources say based on the preliminary evaluation.
The MRI revealed some good news, with hopes that it’s not a long-term injury. pic.twitter.com/rDwZFWGS3Q
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 2, 2026
Whenever a player suffers a leg issue in the manner that Graham did, thoughts of a season-ending injury immediately arise. Though the timeline remains unclear, the worst-case scenario looks to have been avoided.
The Browns struggled to adjust without Graham right away, as the Steelers continued on a 17-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that took almost 10 minutes off the clock. But Cleveland was able to adapt, and five different players wound up sacking Aaron Rodgers over the course of the game.
Graham had emerged from the shadow previously cast by Myles Garrett to already exceed the one-half sack he posted in 17 games as the No. 5 overall pick from the 2025 NFL Draft. He also already has a career-high five quarterback hits and is one shy of his tackles for loss, with six so far this year.
Fellow defensive tackle Maliek Collins is rounding into form after missing most of training camp on the PUP list recovering from a quad injury he suffered last season. Isaiah McGuire, Sam Williams and Mike Hall Jr. also sacked Rodgers, so the Browns may be able to survive Graham’s absence in the short term.
However, if they hope to continue on their potential path to playoff contention, they would like to have him back on the field as soon as he can play.
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