The Houston Texans shocked the NFL world — and especially the Pittsburgh Steelers fanbase — with the decision to trade a sixth-round pick for Kendrick Green shortly before the NFL season. Green was a well-documented dumpster fire in Pittsburgh and he was destined to be cut before Houston swept in for the trade.
Shortly after the trade, some clarity was afforded: the Texans' starting center, Juice Scruggs, is on the injured reserve. The Texans' offensive line has been completely ravaged by injuries to start the season, which led to Green getting a starting nod for Houston's Week 2 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.
It went about as poorly as one would expect. Green struggled all preseason in Pittsburgh and it doesn't appear that a change of scenery is enough to salvage his NFL career. The Texans are putting rookie QB C.J. Stroud in a tough spot with a paper-mache offensive line, but such is life for a team that is young and injured.
Pittsburgh Steelers castoff Kendrick Green struggles in Houston Texans debut
The Texans struggled to protect Stroud all night. The Ohio State product was sacked six times and the Colts defense laid nine hits on the QB. Credit to the Indy defense, but the Texans' makeshift O-line deserves the majority of the blame.
Green has the ability to toggle between guard and center (he started this game at left guard), but it's hard to credit him for his versatility without sustained proof of NFL-level competence at either position. Green could never live up to his third-round pick status in Pittsburgh and the Steelers even experimented briefly with Green at fullback early in the preseason.
There's nothing like a forced position change to tell you a player's career is hanging by a thread.
Sunday's poor performance wasn't all Green's fault, as the shoddy nature of the line around him contributed to the torrent of pressure on Stroud. Green was not the only unexperienced and unproven player getting important reps. The Steelers faithful went as far as to lob some backhanded complements at the former Pittsburghese.
Still, C.J. Stroud remains confident in Green and his teammates in the trenches. It's a learning curve for all involved in Houston and it's hard to blame a gaggle of backups and castoffs for struggling to perform against a fully formed defensive line.
One cannot fault Green's effort, that's for sure. The Texans will get a chance to right the ship next Sunday in Jacksonville.
