The Browns are heading into training camp with a defensive tackle group that deserves more respect than it’s been getting. There are still real questions here, especially around Mike Hall Jr.’s health and what Cleveland will actually get from Kalia Davis, but the talent in the room is hard to miss.
At the top, Mason Graham and Maliek Collins give the Browns a chance to build something real inside. If new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg can find the right way to use them without Myles Garrett on the edge, that pairing could become one of the conference’s better interior duos in 2026.
The current depth chart starts with Graham and Collins as the starters, followed by Mike Hall Jr., Kalia Davis and Adin Huntington in reserve.
The ceiling is obvious. In the best-case version of this room, Graham and Collins are even better than they were in 2025, which was already above-average.
Hall stays on the field and settles in as a solid rotational interior pass rusher behind Collins at 3-technique. Davis, brought in this offseason for his motor and all-around skill set, ends up filling Shelby Harris’ role cleanly.
Huntington keeps developing into a more athletic version of Sam Kamara and gives the Browns useful snaps all along the defensive line.
The floor is a lot shakier. If Graham regresses in year two, Collins could wind up as the only dependable presence in the middle of the defense. Hall’s lower-body injuries could keep him from becoming a real contributor, while Davis and Huntington might flash without ever putting it together consistently.
So much of this comes back to Graham. If he looks at least as good in 2026 as he did last year, and if Hall and Davis give Cleveland something steady, this group has a real shot to finish better than it did in 2025. On paper, it already looks a little stronger, with Davis stepping in for an aging Shelby Harris.
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