The Pittsburgh Steelers face off against the Houston Texans on Sunday. While C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins will be the main focus for the Steelers defense, they will also see a familiar face in left guard Kendrick Green.
Green was traded to Houston late this offseason for some mid-round draft capital. At the time, the deal was considered a success for Pittsburgh, as the former third-round pick out of Illinois had done little to prove he deserves a starting spot in the NFL. However, the Texans have been impressed with him thus far, with Green going as far as to say Houston is using him the right way.
"I'm glad it happened. I'm glad I'm not there anymore," Green said. "I'm just looking at it as just another game, going out there to play my best. Just good that I'll see some familiar faces on the other side. Got put in a pretty tough spot when I was there, and just think it's fortunate the way it worked out."
Green's veiled shots at the Steelers this week were not a great look, but Pittsburgh's defense has a chance to get revenge early and often on the left side of Houston's offensive line.
Steelers who can make Kendrick Green pay: Montravius Adams
Steelers defensive tackle Montravius Adams was friends with Green when he played in Pittsburgh, so it'll be an odd situation matching up against him on Sunday. Nonetheless, Adams thinks Green holds a surprising advantage heading into this Week 4 game.
"The toughest thing is that he knows everyone on the D-Line. That's what he will share with the other offensive linemen. TJ, Alex, Larry, all their strengths. I think he will share with his O-Line to help them be in place," Adams said.
There's a difference between knowing the players and actually knowing how to stop them. That's where Pittsburgh holds the advantage, even if Green doesn't have to go up against T.J. Watt 1-on-1.
Steelers who can make Kendrick Green pay: Alex Highsmith
While Green likely won't get a good look at Watt on Sunday unless he winds up on Stroud's back, he will be matched up with fellow Pro Bowl pass rusher Alex Highsmith from time to time. That is no easy task for Green, even if he's familiar with what Highsmith has to offer.
Highsmith has learned a whole lot from Watt during his brief NFL tenure, and signed a recent contract extension as a result. With Watt receiving the majority of the attention from opposing offensive lines, Highsmith routinely faces just one offensive lineman, which gives him an easy path to the quarterback.
Houston's offensive line as a whole is dealing with a lot of injuries. Whether it's Watt, Highsmith or another member of this linebacking corps, Stroud should be under pressure all day long. The Ohio State product is certainly talented enough to deal with that as any franchise QB would.
Steelers who can make Kendrick Green pay: Larry Ogunjobi
Facing off against the interior of the Steelers defensive line won't be as tough as normal thanks to Cam Heyward's injury, but Larry Ogunjobi isn't a cake walk. Ogunjobi, along with the emergence of Keeanu Benton, has helped Pittsburgh's defensive line overcome the loss of Heyward, who should return sometime later this season.
Up against Green, Ogunjobi has the advantage of weight and agility. The presence of playmaking linebackers like T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith on the outside puts even more pressure on the Texans interior offensive line -- which includes Green at left guard -- to stop Ogunjobi with relative ease so they can focus on the likes of Pittsburgh's outside pass rush.
Not to mention, Ogunjobi has plenty of motivation. The Steelers gave him a new contract this past offseason and fans are still waiting for the payoff. Andrew Falce of Still Curtain mentioned this in a recent piece outlining Steelers so-called mistakes:
"To be clear, Ogunjobi's play hasn't been bad by any means. Despite the injury, he has still been a consistent player on defense for this unit. He even logged an early season sack against the Browns and had arguably his best game in a Steelers uniform that week. The issue is, he hasn't been dominant, and you would have liked to see more from the veteran on his new deal."
Ogunjobi can put all that to bed with a solid performance on Sunday.
