Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham avoided a long-term knee injury but will miss time after an awkward play in Thursday’s win over the Steelers.
Graham twisted his left leg while engaged with a blocker on Pittsburgh’s opening drive. He walked to the medical tent with help, then headed to the locker room and did not return.
The second-year lineman later left Huntington Bank Field on crutches and wearing a knee brace. Team doctors ordered an MRI the next day at University Hospitals.
“An MRI performed at University Hospitals showed that Browns defensive tackle Mason Graham sustained an MCL sprain and an ankle sprain in last night’s 27-24 victory over the Steelers on Thursday Night Football. The Browns medical staff will evaluate his return on a week-to-week basis,” the club said in a Friday statement.
No surgery is expected. League sources have described the recovery window as a few weeks rather than months.
Graham entered the night as Cleveland’s sack leader. Through four weeks he has four sacks, 15 tackles, six tackles for loss and five quarterback hits, according to the team.
Those four sacks tie him for third in the NFL. He recorded at least one sack in each of the Browns’ first three games before the injury.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 draft out of Michigan played all 17 games as a rookie. His production has jumped sharply in Year 2 on a defensive line that no longer features Myles Garrett.
Cleveland sits at 3-1 after the Thursday night victory. Graham’s absence removes the club’s most productive interior pass rusher just as the schedule turns.
He is not expected to play in Week 5 at the Jets. A return for the Oct. 18 home game against the Ravens remains possible, according to reporting from Cleveland.com.
“On Saturday, one source told Cleveland.com that he wouldn’t be surprised if Graham made it back for the Browns’ visit from the Ravens on Oct. 18, which would help tremendously against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ high-powered offense. Graham, the No. 5 overall pick last year out of Michigan, leads the Browns with four sacks despite leaving the Steelers game on the first defensive series,” Mary Kay Cabot wrote.
Coach Todd Monken has praised the 23-year-old’s early-season work. The staff plans to manage the timeline carefully even if Graham pushes to return sooner.
“He’s a tremendously talented young player that you could see early in the season, it all coming together,” Monken said. “Like I said last week, we want all of our young players to be great right away, and we need them to be great right away. That’s the nature of the business we’ve chosen. But I just think he’s worked awfully hard. He’s not only active and quick, he’s a highly intelligent player, which I think helps him in terms of reading sets, in terms of communication up front. And he plays with unbelievable effort.”
Backup snaps will fall to the rest of the defensive line while Graham rehabs. The Browns face the Jets on Oct. 11, host Baltimore the following week, and travel to Tennessee in Week 7.
A one- or two-game absence would keep the injury from becoming a season-altering setback for a 3-1 team. Officials will reassess Graham each week before clearing him for contact.
