The Cleveland Browns had a tough loss in Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers and will look to put it behind them with a matchup against the Tennessee Titans up next. It’s a chance for the offense to bounce back and for Shedeur Sanders to take the next step in his development and further convince the front office that it doesn’t need to draft another quarterback in 2026.
Against the Niners, the Browns suffered a major loss when defensive tackle Maliek Collins went down with a quad injury that ended his season. He was having the best year of his career, and in his absence, there will be opportunities for other young talent to step up, and one rookie will see an increased role in upcoming games.
Analyst Mac Blank shared a clip of rookie Mason Graham’s recent performances, and he quoted defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz as saying that “it’s only a matter of time for production to match his performance.”
With 13 pressures, nine run stops, and nine tackles in the past three games, Graham could be on the verge of a breakout down the stretch.
#Browns DC Jim Schwartz said today regarding Mason Graham “…it’s only a matter of time for production to match his performance”
Grahams last 3 games (per PFF)
-13 pressures
-9 run stops
-9 tacklesNow that Maliek Collins is on IR- all eyes are on him
pic.twitter.com/54OTG2Pf2N— Mac🦬 (@tha_buffalo) December 4, 2025
Cleveland has other exciting young defensive tackles in Mike Hall Jr. and Adin Huntington, who also should see increased playing time in Collins’ absence. Even though others now have a greater opportunity, this is the time to see what Graham is truly made of.
He has been outstanding thus far, and it will be interesting to see how he does without Collins by his side over the last five games.
Collins was having an All-Pro type of season with 6.5 sacks, so offensive lines could shift more focus Graham’s way.
It will be a fun subplot to follow down the stretch, but there should be little doubt that Graham will be up to the challenge.
NEXT: Draft Expert Names Which QB Prospect Browns Should Target
