Cleveland, OH
What Browns rookie Mason Graham is chasing this week against the Raiders
BEREA, Ohio — There’s one big milestone Browns No. 5 overall pick Mason Graham is still chasing.
The good news is he has a chance to reach it on Sunday as the Browns take on the Las Vegas Raiders, going against one of the worst offensive lines in the league.
“You’re always chasing, you don’t want to be chasing after the sack, but it’s always cool to have the stats to go with it, how you’re playing,” Graham said on Friday.
Graham is still chasing his first solo NFL sack.
His lone half sack came in Week 3 against the Packers, off a perfectly executed twist stunt — but he split the takedown of Packers QB Jordan Love with veteran teammate Maliek Collins.
Graham has shown bursts of disruptiveness.
Pro Football Focus has him with 21 total pressures this season, including five last week against the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson.
One of those pressures came on Garrett’s third sack in his four-sack monster game, in which Graham forced Jackson to step back into the pocket, giving Garrett enough time to recover even though he got behind the Ravens QB.
Those are the kinds of plays Graham is perfectly happy to keep making. He’s also most certainly had an impact on Garrett reaching 15.0 sacks already this season, leading the league and on pace to break the league single-season sack record at 22.5.
“I’m just worried about getting to the quarterback, whether that means getting the sack or not,” he said. “I just want to be a factor. And if it leads to a pick and I don’t get the sack, if he throws the ball last second, alright, cool, I just want to have some good tape that helps our team.”
But defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has kept insisting there is still “meat on the bone” when it comes to Graham as a pass rusher.
A big reason is that while at Michigan, Graham still showed off impressive pass rush traits despite spending a lot of time eating up blocks. In an attack-first defense, it’s been an adjustment.
But the Browns have been happy with what they’ve seen so far.
“I don’t know that anybody is only looking at sacks,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said last week when asked about Graham. “If they are, they’re not looking at the whole picture when it comes to defensive line play. I know around the league, the importance is placed on pressures and is placed on their ability to affect the quarterback.
“And obviously when they result in sacks, that’s ideal. But the ability to affect the quarterback is the most important thing that defensive linemen can do.”
Against the Raiders, Graham should have a chance at his first solo sack, especially as he’s been ramping up the pressure in recent weeks with eight pressures and two hits over his last two games.
Raiders quarterback Geno Smith has been sacked 31 times this season (the fourth-worst mark in the league) for 214 yards.
Graham should be able to win some one-on-one matchups, especially if the Raiders devote more to Garrett.
But for now, the rookie is worried about playing his role in one of the league’s best units.
“I come up here every week and say I just want to progress every week,” he said. “So whatever that looks like. But I feel like we all help each other. We’re all complementary to each other. We all do things well that everyone’s different. Maliek does something different than I do, Mike (Hall Jr.), Myles, Zay (Isaiah McGuire), Alex (Wright), we’re all different players, but when we find a way to work together, we all complement each other.”
If he keeps that attitude, that sack won’t be far off.
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Cleveland, OH
Man shot on Cleveland’s West Side
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A man was shot in Cleveland’s Cudell neighborhood Tuesday night.
Cleveland Police 1st District officers responded to the 10100 block of Madison Ave around 9:00 P.M.
A man approximately 45 years of age was found with a gunshot wound.
EMS took the victim to MetroHealth Hospital. This incident remains under investigation.
There is no information on any suspects or arrests.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
Leaders in Washington and Cleveland take aim at affordable housing in Northeast Ohio
CLEVELAND — Ahead of her Third Annual Housing Expo this Saturday at Tri-C Corporate College East, Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH) rolled out her Safe and Affordable Housing Agenda on Tuesday. It’s a series of four bills aimed at lowering home costs while strengthening lead paint and pipe abatement.
“We wanted to bring something forward that would improve the living conditions, to make things more affordable and more accessible for not only the constituents of Ohio’s 11th Congressional District but those who are experiencing the same challenge across the country,” Brown told News 5.
The Housing Supply Fund Act is legislation that encourages the building of more affordable housing by filling financing gaps that are holding back construction. The legislation would establish a competitive program within the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund to address financing gaps that prevent otherwise viable housing projects from moving forward.
“We want to make sure we do not give up on affordable housing; we want to make sure that it is more accessible,” Brown said.
There is also the Affordable Housing Preservation and Protection Act, which is legislation to maintain and preserve existing HUD-assisted housing. This legislation establishes a new HUD preservation authority to provide targeted financing and intervention tools for distressed HUD-assisted multifamily properties at risk of deterioration, foreclosure, or loss of affordability.
The bill is designed to help preserve affordable housing, facilitate responsible ownership transitions, and protect existing federal housing investments serving seniors, working families, and vulnerable residents.
The other two bills introduced deal with the issue of lead abatement. The GET THE LEAD OUT Act of 2026 would create a new federal grant program to replace lead pipes, fixtures, and taps. The legislation would create a broad federal framework to address lead in drinking water and housing by funding removal of lead-based pipe and tap hazards, establishing training and certification requirements, directing federal standards and state programs, and integrating lead plumbing remediation into major housing programs. Brown’s legislation creates new authorities and financing mechanisms to drive national action on residential lead plumbing hazards.
The Removing Existing Pipes with Lead and Advancing Clean Environments (or REPLACE) Act improves existing lead paint and lead pipe removal programs within the federal government. This legislation would amend existing HUD and Safe Drinking Water Act authorities to strengthen lead-paint hazard remediation in housing, improve local implementation capacity, and better coordinate paint and pipe removal efforts.
“We know that this has been a longstanding issue in the City of Cleveland,” she said. “What we’re doing is trying to supplement and amplify the opportunities to be able to address these issues that have long-standing impacts in our community.”
Brown’s announcement comes on the heels of the Bibb administration’s announcement of the creation of the Housing Innovation District, a 1,500-acre swath of land covering St. Clair, Superior and Hough where efforts will begin this summer to repopulate streets that have lost more than half of their homes in recent decades with new housing starting on East 67th south of St. Clair, where ten homes will go up later this year.
A recent New York Times piece cited that among the barriers to building more housing are restrictive zoning and permitting, something the city addresses in this district.
“One of the big things that we’re doing is eliminating permit fees for single-family home construction, which is again a real sort of barrier to this sort of work,” said Tom McNair, Mayor Justin Bibb’s Chief of Integrated Development.
They also established what they call a “Pattern Book,” where they’ve pre-approved designs for certain types of homes in this district to speed up the process.
“When there’s a vacant lot that the city owns, it will be like this is the home you want, this is the lot you want to build on, here’s your permit,” he said.
Congresswoman Brown sees their efforts helping citizens towards the same goal.
“Our legislation would dovetail perfectly into what the mayor is putting forth as well,” she said. “People are doing all of the right things, they’re working hard, but they’re still having trouble getting ahead, and we want to be able to again address that gap as it relates to the opportunity to build wealth in our community, and this legislation will certainly help put people on a pathway to do that.”
Part of that pathway includes Brown’s Housing Expo for constituents of the 11th Congressional District. “It’s a one-stop shop for everything housing, so whether you are a renter or whether you are a first-time home buyer, whether you are looking to renovate, whether you are a senior that’s aging in place. We wanted to bring every aspect of the housing industry under one umbrella, and so we will do that.”
Constituents can register for the free event here.
Cleveland, OH
Fire crews battle Cleveland duplex blaze, ammunition heard popping inside
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Cleveland Division of Fire responded to a 2 1/2 story side-by-side duplex fire Monday afternoon.
According to Cleveland Fire, the call came in just after 5 p.m. at 2154 and 2156 W 98th St.
The fire started in a second floor bedroom that spread to the attic.
Due to the size of the house and the volume of the fire, an extra engine and ladder companies were called to assist.
Cleveland Fire said a total of eight adults and three children were displaced from the fire and the Red Cross was called to assist.
Firearms were inside the structure and firefighters said they could hear ammunition going off as they fought the fire.
The fire also extended to an old tree that caught fire.
Total estimated loss is $120,000, Cleveland Fire said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation and no injuries were reported.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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