Garrett named captain for win-and-in game vs. Steelers

Myles Garrett will lead the Cleveland Browns' effort to secure a playoff spot against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced Friday that the star pass-rusher will be the game captain for the crucial AFC North showdown, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

"I don't normally announce captains, but I'm going to have Myles Garrett be the captain this weekend and I don't want that to be misconstrued," Stefanski said, per Cabot. "It's a big game, so I'm sending the big guy out there, but it is in no way a call back to anything previously, so I just want to make sure that that's clear."

Cleveland can secure its first postseason appearance since 2002 by beating its bitter rivals. The Steelers have already won the division and will be resting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the matchup.

The decision to sit Roethlisberger means Mason Rudolph will face the Browns for the first time since his infamous clash with Garrett in 2019. The defensive end was suspended last year for swinging Rudolph's helmet at the signal-caller late in Cleveland's Week 11 victory over Pittsburgh.

Garrett previously said he intended to speak to Rudolph to clear up any ill will. But the Steelers backup said Friday that the two players haven't spoken.

"He has not reached out to me in any capacity, but I have a lot of respect for Myles," said Rudolph, according to Kimberly A. Martin of ESPN. "Outside of that, this game's too big to worry about anything external that happened years ago."

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