The Browns’ biggest game of the young 2026 season took an ugly turn almost immediately, and now a familiar name is suddenly carrying a much larger load.
Mason Graham, Cleveland’s leader in sacks and tackles for loss through three weeks, left on the Browns’ first defensive series after he was taken down awkwardly on a Pittsburgh run. Thursday Night Football sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung said the worry is centered on Graham’s left knee.
"We saw him hobble in and out of the medical tent grimacing," Hartung said on the broadcast. " He made a quick visit to the X-ray room, and he's still in the locker room. We haven't gotten another look at him.
By the end of the first quarter, the Browns had listed Graham as questionable to return.
Cleveland did answer right after Graham exited, with Maliek Collins - Graham’s partner inside - dropping Aaron Rodgers for a 7-yard sack. But Pittsburgh steadied itself and then strung together a 17-play march that ended in the game’s first touchdown.
That loss of Graham matters because Cleveland’s defensive line already has been a thin spot. The Browns have dealt with roster depth issues there all summer, and the injuries have only made that problem more obvious.
So the next man up is Mike Hall Jr., who may finally be getting the kind of opportunity he’s been waiting for.
Hall was one of the better stories of Browns camp after turning heads as an edge rusher late in the preseason. Through the first three games, he’s worked as a rotational defensive tackle and has also logged 10 snaps at defensive end. If Graham can’t go, Hall’s work should move back to the interior full-time next to Collins.
That would put even more on Hall’s plate, and the workload is already climbing. Entering 2026, he had appeared in just 17 games with three starts over his first two seasons, a stretch shaped largely by the torn MCL and dislocated knee he suffered in the final game of his rookie year.
And Cleveland doesn’t have much behind him. With veteran Kalia Davis on injured reserve, the only other active defensive tackle for the Steelers game was 2025 undrafted free agent Adin Huntington.
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Todd Monken Had A Sideline Moment Browns Fans Will Notice
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It stood out because those kinds of exchanges are not usually the part of the night anyone remembers once the game tightens up. In a matchup that would later get more stressful as the Steelers started pushing back, the brief sideline scene offered Browns fans a glimpse of Monken in a looser moment while his team was still in control. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Hall Jr. Gave Browns Fans The Exact Tone This Team Wants
Mike Hall Jr. gave the Browns exactly the kind of response teams look for when the game gets messy. After an ankle injury in the matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the defensive tackle still found his way back onto the field and delivered a key sack on Aaron Rodgers, helping steady a defense that needed answers in the moment. He wound up playing 30 defensive snaps after starter Mason Graham went down, and his presence was part of a gritty effort that helped Cleveland get out with a 27-24 win.
Todd Monken pointed to Hall's effort as the kind of example the Browns want setting the tone inside the building. It was not just about the sack or the extra snaps, but about showing resilience when the game and the health report both turned inconvenient. For a Cleveland team trying to make toughness more than a talking point, Hall's night fit the message perfectly. [Read more 🡒]