Former Steelers offensive lineman Kendrick Green suffered a torn meniscus against his former team in the Texans’ win against the Steelers on Sunday. He is out indefinitely, according to D.J. Bien-Aime of ESPN. The injury is the latest blow for Green is his career and puts the Texans down yet another offensive lineman up front. After starting three games and getting a second chance, Green now has to sit on the sideline for a significant amount of time.
The Steelers drafted Green in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Green played mostly guard at Illinois, but because he is slightly undersized for the position at the NFL level, the Steelers moved Green to center, where they had a vacancy after the retirement of Maurkice Pouncey.
The Steelers moved Green back to guard in 2022, but with the team much deeper there, he never saw the field. In 2023, they again tried him at center and even fullback before trading him to the Texans on Aug. 29 in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick.
With Houston, Green has played exclusively his more natural guard position. Green said in 2022 that he never wanted to learn center, and it’s clear the ordeal of being pushed into the center position in Pittsburgh is something that he is glad is behind him. He helped the rushing attack get going against the Steelers with the Texans’ best performance on the ground this season. Pittsburgh now has to regroup following the humiliation in Texas.
For Green, this is another tough blow in his career. However, he may have found a fit that works for him, especially by playing primarily at guard.