CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns defensive end Myles Garrett makes a living knocking quarterbacks down, but off the field, he’s passionate about picking people up.

Garrett was announced Tuesday as the new caption of the NFL Waterboys program, the cornerstone initiative of the Chris Long Foundation, which is dedicated to bringing clean water to East African communities in need.

With Long retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons, he didn’t hesitate to call on Garrett to take over for him in the program’s fifth season.

“I knew right away that Myles was the guy that could carry the torch and lead the NFL Waterboys program,” Long said in a release. “He’s young, passionate and sincere in his commitment to helping other people. And he’s going to play at a high level for a long time. I know the sky is the limit for what we will accomplish under Myles’ leadership. I believe we will reach our 1 million people served goal during his tenure.”

Garrett, who’s been involved with Waterboys since his rookie year, is honored to take the torch.

“I am thrilled to be the Waterboys NFL captain and continue my work in ensuring that people have access to safe water,” Garrett said in the release. “This is my third year involved with the program and I can’t wait to work with my peers around the league, along with fans, to grow Waterboys and build on the momentum that Chris [Long] has generated around this important cause.”

Garrett will drum up support from the Browns’ fan base with his #DawgsDigDeep social media campaign. He’s asking all fans to follow @waterboysorg, tag three friends and use the hashtag #DawgsDigDeep. He’ll present one participating fan with four tickets to the Browns-Rams on Sept. 22.

Garrett will also work with NBA players and the Hoops2o program that was founded by Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon and has raised more than a quarter-million dollars since last year.

Long’s vision is to use the power and platform of sports to help ease the world’s water crisis.

About Waterboys

Founded in 2015 by two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long, Waterboys unites NFL players and fans from across the league in support of a single shared cause: providing clean, accessible drinking water to 1 million people. Led in the NFL by Pro-Bowler Myles Garrett and a team of active NFL stars and in the NBA by Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon and his “Starting 5” roster of NBA stars, Waterboys has provided clean drinking water to more than 245,000 people. All funds raised through Waterboys go towards the construction of sustainable, deep borehole wells to provide life-giving water and all that comes from it — the opportunity for education, good health, and economic stability. Visit www.waterboys.org to find out more.