LAST UPDATED ON 2020-12-22 10:13:23

3 Cleveland Browns players named to 2021 Pro Bowl

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland Browns guard Joel Bitonio and defensive end Myles Garrett were both named starters to the AFC's Pro Bowl team on Monday while running back Nick Chubb was named an alternate.

Garrett, has been one of the top pass rushers in the NFL this season, ranking among the league leaders in strip-sacks (tied for first with four), fumble recoveries (tied for second with two), forced fumbles (tied for third with four), and sacks (tied for fifth with 11). Garrett, whose first Pro Bowl appearance came in 2018, is the only Brown with multiple double-digit sack seasons, with three (13.5 in 2018, 10 in 2019, 11 so far in 2020).

Despite missing four games this season, Chubb ranks fifth in the NFL with 931 rushing yards and is tied for sixth with 10 rushing touchdowns. He currently ranks second in the league with 11 rushes of 20-plus yards and he's fourth in the NFL with 30 carries for 10 or more yards. Chubb, who was named to his first Pro Bowl last year, is the first Browns running back named to the Pro Bowl in consecutive seasons since Mike Pruitt in 1980-81.

Bitonio, the longest-tenured member of the Browns, has been named to the past three Pro Bowls. He is the first Browns guard to be selected to three consecutive Pro Bowls since Hall of Famer Gene Hickerson made six straight from 1966-71. Bitonio anchors an offensive line that has helped the Browns rank among the league leaders in rushes for 10+ yards (first with 68), rushing yards (third with 2,137), and fewest sacks allowed (third with 18). He has also opened holes and helped Nick Chubb (931) and Kareem Hunt (793) become the only pair of teammates in the NFL this season with at least 750 rushing yards.

The total of three Browns Pro Bowlers matches the total from the previous season, when Bitionio, Chubb, and Jarvis Landry represented the team.

The 2021 Pro Bowl, initially scheduled for January 31, 2021 in Las Vegas, will now be held as a weeklong virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the AFC and NFC rosters playing on the Madden NFL 21 video game.