Kenyon Green

Texans Place G Kenyon Green On IR

September 3rd, 2023 at 10:37am CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 3: Kenyon Green and the Texans knew as early as May that Green may need surgery, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. It seems as if Houston wanted to see if its young blocker could play through the pain, and as Brandon Scott of Chron.com observes, Green was operating with the first team during the first two games of the preseason despite having his reps carefully managed in OTAs and training camp. Unfortunately, he aggravated the shoulder injury during the preseason finale, and it became clear he would need to be shut down.

“To his credit, he worked through it and I’d say did the best he could with the situation that he was given,” Caserio said. “In the end, we just felt for the betterment of the team and the player, that [surgery] was the best decision.”

AUGUST 29: Kenyon Green‘s injury will lead the Texans to take a drastic step. They placed the 2022 first-round pick on IR. This move will sideline the young guard for the season.

The Texans traded for Steelers interior O-lineman Kendrick Green earlier today, and they have center Juice Scruggs facing the possibility of a trip to in-season IR. That move would only knock out Scruggs for four games. By putting Kenyon Green on IR now, the Texans will lose him for the year.

This represents a tough blow to Kenyon Green‘s career and to the Texans’ O-line. A shoulder injury is one of multiple issues plaguing the Texas A&M product, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets, adding that the second-year lineman will undergo shoulder surgery. Green has already undergone two knee surgeries since joining the Texans.

Although injury trouble hampered Green during his first training camp, the 22-year-old blocker still played in 15 games (14 starts) as a rookie. But the ex-Aggie’s season did not go well. Pro Football Focus graded Green as the worst full-time guard in 2022. This year would have been an opportunity for a quick bounce back for last year’s first guard selected, but Green will have to wait until 2024 to turn his career around.

Chosen 15th overall last year, Green earned consensus All-American honors for his work in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The Texans made major investments in their offensive front over the past two offseasons. Following their Green pick, they extended Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard and traded for Shaq Mason. The ex-Patriots and Buccaneers guard — acquired by New England during Nick Caserio‘s time with the team — also signed an extension this offseason.

The Texans then used a second-round pick on Scruggs, but it will be a while before Houston can deploy its preferred O-line. Scruggs’ hamstring strain is expected to keep him out two to four weeks. The Texans have acquired both Kendrick Green and Josh Jones via trade in the past week. Both could be put to work early.

It may be a bit before the team unveils an O-line configuration featuring even three of its starting five. Rehabbing a hand injury, Howard is not viewed as a lock to start the season on time. This run of setbacks comes as the Texans prepare to begin No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud‘s starter run.

Steelers To Trade Kendrick Green To Texans

August 29th, 2023 at 1:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Texans have been busy fortifying their offensive line this summer. After signing George Fant and trading for Josh Jones, Houston has another deal in place.

Kendrick Green will move from the Steelers to the Texans, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. The Steelers have now shipped out two former starters this week, moving Kevin Dotson to the Rams on Sunday and now sending Green to the Texans. A former Steelers center starter, Green has been unable to impress in Pittsburgh.

Two years remain on the former third-round pick’s rookie contract. The Steelers have made several free agency moves along their O-line over the past two offseasons. These affected Green’s standing with the organization. He will now have another chance elsewhere. The Texans will send the Steelers a 2025 sixth-round pick for Green, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

Enjoying a healthy season along their offensive front, the Steelers did not use Green at all in 2022. The team had inserted Green as its starting center during Ben Roethlisberger‘s finale, but the Illinois product struggled as a rookie. Pittsburgh then signed Mason Cole in 2022, demoting Green. The Steelers have tried Green at guard and even fullback — for a brief period during this year’s training camp — but are cutting bait.

Green will join a Texans team that has run into some injury trouble on its interior O-line. Center Scott Quessenberry landed on IR earlier this summer, while KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes second-round rookie Juice Scruggs suffered a strained hamstring against the Saints. Second-year guard Kenyon Green is also battling a shoulder injury, with Wilson adding the 2022 first-round pick is dealing with multiple maladies.

This helps explain the Kendrick Green move, but Kenyon Green’s issue may cost the latter regular-season time. The 2022 draftee will undergo an MRI to determine if an IR stint is necessary to start the season, per Wilson. The Texans are already without right tackle Tytus Howard, with Wilson adding the former first-round pick is not certain to be back for the team’s opener. Fant is in place at right tackle sans Howard, with Michael Deiter in place of Kenyon Green presently. Among Houston O-linemen, only Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason are firmly on track to start the season on time.

Texans Notes: Green, Perryman, Griffin, Staff

June 21st, 2023 at 9:53pm CST by Ely Allen

The Texans received updates on two injury situations with the potential to bleed over into training camp, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. It looks like Houston will see a defender back at full-speed, while an offensive starter may have a bit further to go.

Firstly, Wilson reported that free agent addition Denzel Perryman is nearly back to full-strength after recovering from labrum shoulder surgery. The former Raiders linebacker missed games last year with a dislocated shoulder before ultimately undergoing the procedure. The 30-year-old has graded out as a top-30 linebacker in each of his two years in Las Vegas, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He’s projected to start beside Christian Kirksey and Christian Harris in 2023.

On the offensive side of the ball, last year’s rookie starter at offensive guard, Kenyon Green, is still making his way back from an arthroscopic knee surgery that he underwent this offseason. New head coach DeMeco Ryans was noncommittal on when Green would return. “We’ll see where Kenyon is come training camp,” Ryans told reporters. “For Kenyon, he has to be ready to go, and the work he puts in over the next few weeks will see if he’s ready and ready to go out and compete.”

Here are a few other rumors coming out of H-Town:

The Texans were recently able to add free agent cornerback Shaquill Griffin to their secondary. According to another report from Wilson, Houston wasn’t the only team with interest in the veteran corner. Griffin claims that along with his former team in Jacksonville and his new team in Houston, he felt interest from the Vikings and Commanders. He only made one visit, but his trip to Texas was enough to sell him on the team’s scheme and “energy.”
Houston was recently able to reach an agreement to extend defensive tackle Maliek Collins to a new two-year, $23MM deal with a reported $20MM of guaranteed money. Recent updates adjust the latter number slightly. Collins was actually guaranteed $20.5MM, consisting of a $10.5MM signing bonus, Collins’s 2023 base salary of $2MM, and his 2024 base salary of $8MM. His contract will also include a per game active bonus of $29,411 for a potential season total of $500k.
Lastly, there was a bit of a shakeup in the Texans’ front office last weekend. According to Wilson, former chief of staff Nick Kray is no longer with the organization. Kray came over with Ryans from the same position in San Francisco when Ryans took the head coaching gig in Houston. Since his departure, assistant to the coaches Jake Olson has taken over Kray’s duties. Olson was recently added to the staff after stints as Kent State director of football operations and Yale chief of staff.

NFL Injury Rumors: Week 17 Updates

December 31st, 2022 at 7:56pm CST by Ely Allen

Updates to injury questions heading into the Sunday slate of games:

Cardinals star receiver DeAndre Hopkins will miss this Sunday’s game in Atlanta with a knee injury, according to the team’s final injury report. The injury seemed to appear from nowhere late this week and, with the Cardinals eliminated from playoff contention, it would not be a surprise to see Hopkins sit for the remainder of the season. Quarterbacks David Blough and Trace McSorley will have to rely on Marquise Brown, Greg Dortch, A.J. Green, Robbie Anderson, Pharoh Cooper, and recently promoted Andre Baccellia in the meantime.
The Commanders will have to face Cleveland tomorrow without running back Antonio Gibson, according to the team’s official Twitter account. With Gibson out due to an ankle sprain, Washington will likely continue to rely heavily on rookie starter Brian Robinson. Veteran running back Jonathan Williams will likely find himself in an increased role tomorrow, as will elevated practice squad back Jaret Patterson.
Despite returning to practice this week, 49ers star receiver Deebo Samuel is unable to play this weekend against the Raiders, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy will have at least one more week depending on the likes of Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, Ray-Ray McCloud, tight end George Kittle, and running back Christian McCaffrey without Samuel. Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated that there’s “a chance” Samuel will be able to return next week.
Buccaneers right tackle Tristan Wirfs reportedly aggravated his ankle injury last week against the Cardinals, but according to Jenna Laine of ESPN, Wirfs intends on playing regardless. Tampa Bay is also hoping to get starting left tackle Donovan Smith back for tomorrow’s game against the Panthers. If Smith does play, it will be the first time the two have appeared in a game together since a Week 12 loss to the Browns.
The Texans have confirmed that two starters are no longer in question to play this weekend as right tackle Tytus Howard and rookie left guard Kenyon Green are both expected to play against the Jaguars, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Howard had to clear concussion protocol in order to play this weekend and successfully did so. Green has missed Houston’s last two contests with an ankle injury but has reportedly improved considerably. Backup interior lineman Jimmy Morrissey was unable to clear concussion protocol and will be unable to play this Sunday.

Texans Finish Signing 2022 Draft Class

June 2nd, 2022 at 10:34pm CST by Ely Allen

The Texans wrapped up their nine-man draft class today when they were able to reach an agreement with third-round pick Christian Harris. The Power Five-heavy class includes a plethora of Day 1 and 2 picks and brings home three Houston-natives in guard Kenyon Green, safety Jalen Pitre, and offensive lineman Austin Deculus.

The Texans started their haul with four selections in the 2022 NFL Draft’s first 44 picks. Their first addition was cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who will immediately improve a group that currently includes Steven Nelson, Lonnie Johnson Jr., and Desmond King II. The Texans’ secondary struggled greatly at times last year, and defensive-coordinator-turned-head-coach Lovie Smith decided that addressing that weakness was a top priority. Their addition of Pitre in the second round further addresses that need. While listed as a safety, Pitre spent the majority of his career with the Bears in the slot. Whether at safety or slot cornerback, Pitre is a strong addition alongside Stingley to a struggling defense.

Green was the next selection, midway through the first round, and his ability to play on the inside of the line should allow Houston to establish Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard at the tackle positions. The later addition of the swing tackle, Deculus, continued the Texans’ efforts at improving the protection in front of second-year quarterback Davis Mills.

In terms of weapons for Mills, after extending leading receiver Brandin Cooks, Houston added another weapon in slot receiver John Metchie III. The Alabama alum tore his ACL in December, but is assumed to be ready to return to the field sometime this summer.

From there, Houston added linebacker Christian Harris, who is a menace in opposing teams’ backfields. They followed that by addressing a league-worst 3.4 yards per rush and 8 rushing touchdowns by bringing in Gator running back Dameon Pierce. Thomas Booker adds some depth to the defensive line. Teagan Quitoriano will compete to back up second-year tight end Brevin Jordan with Pharaoh Brown and Antony Auclair.

Here are the draft picks the Texans will take into camps this summer:

Round 1: No. 3 Derek Stingley Jr., CB (LSU) (signed)
Round 1: No. 15 Kenyon Green, G (Texas A&M) (signed)
Round 2: No. 37 Jalen Pitre, S (Baylor) (signed)
Round 2: No. 44 John Metchie III, WR (Alabama) (signed)
Round 3: No. 75 Christian Harris, LB (Alabama) (signed)
Round 4: No. 107 Dameon Pierce, RB (Florida) (signed)
Round 5: No. 150 Thomas Booker, DT (Stanford) (signed)
Round 5: No. 170 Teagan Quitoriano, TE (Oregon State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 205 Austin Deculus, OL (LSU) (signed)

Texans To Use Tytus Howard At Tackle

June 1st, 2022 at 2:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tytus Howard has split his time between the tackle and guard positions in three Texans seasons. With the team picking up the 2019 first-rounder’s fifth-year option, despite that selection coming two GMs ago, Howard remains in the organization’s beyond-2022 plans.

Despite this Houston coaching staff praising the former first-rounder’s versatility earlier this offseason, new HC Lovie Smith said during an appearance on the Cris Collinsworth Podcast (via Sports Radio 610’s Brandon Scott) that Howard will be back at tackle in 2022.

The Texans used Howard as a 10-game guard starter to start the 2021 season, but he fared better replacing Laremy Tunsil at left tackle. In Howard’s four blindside starts during the season’s second half, Pro Football Focus gave him an 89.9 pass-blocking grade. He allowed just two pressures during that four-start span, one that likely contributed to Houston’s decision to pick up his fully guaranteed $13.2MM option for 2022. PFF viewed Howard as a below-average guard, where he spent much of the season during David Culley‘s year in charge.

Howard looks set to return to right tackle, with Tunsil going into his fourth year as the Texans’ left-side starter. Howard spent most of his rookie season at right tackle and was a full-timer at that post in 2020. Smith confirmed, not that there was much doubt here, first-rounder Kenyon Green will play guard as a rookie.

The then-Brian Gaine-led Texans chose Howard 23rd overall out of Alabama State in 2019. The Division I-FCS product still has some time to mold himself into a quality starter. The Texans ensured that by picking up his option. It will be interesting to see how he fares, if given a full season at tackle, on a line that has another building block in Green. Tunsil, Howard and Green represent the three Texans cornerstones up front, though Tunsil was loosely mentioned as a trade candidate before his March restructure. The team re-signed center Justin Britt and added longtime Jaguars starting guard A.J. Cann this offseason.

Texans Sign First-Rounder Kenyon Green

May 15th, 2022 at 1:01pm CST by Rory Parks

Several days after agreeing to terms with No. 3 overall pick Derek Stingley Jr., the Texans have signed the second of their two first-round choices in 2022. Per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, Houston has inked No. 15 overall selection Kenyon Green to his rookie deal.

It will be a four-year, $15.9MM pact for Green, all of which is fully-guaranteed. Of course, the contract will also come with a fifth-year option.

Green, a Texas A&M product, was widely seen as the top guard in the draft, and he was indeed the first guard off the board. Said Houston GM Nick Caserio, “[h]e’s been a really productive, consistent player. He played tackle. He played guard. I would say he is probably a better guard than he is a tackle. I think he is probably more of an inside player, but we’ll put him in the mix. Local kid, so I’m sure all of the Texans, fellow Texans, will be happy about that.”

Green was an All-SEC Freshman performer at right guard for the Aggies in 2019, then became the full-time starter at left guard in 2020. As Caserio noted, Green spent time at several positions along the O-line in 2021: two games at right tackle, one game at left tackle, two games at right guard, and seven games at left guard. He presently projects as the Texans’ starting left guard, and his presence should be a boon for second-year QB Davis Mills and new running backs Marlon Mack and Dameon Pierce.

The 6-4, 323-pounder was a finalist for the Lombardi Award in 2021, given to the nation’s top collegiate O-lineman. As one AFC scout told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com before the draft, “[m]ost of his bad reps were when he was playing tackle this year, when guys were hurt. His guard tape is first round for me.”

Draft Rumors: Giants, Jets, Eagles, Lions, Seahawks, Cowboys, Browns

April 9th, 2022 at 4:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants used a top-five pick on an offensive lineman in 2020, and Andrew Thomas now anchors their line. But the team entered the offseason with needs everywhere else up front. Even after adding multiple likely interior O-line starters in March, Big Blue has a vacancy at right tackle. This has led the Giants to do extensive prep on this draft’s top tackles, including Alabama’s Evan Neal, NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu and Mississippi State’s Charles Cross, SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano notes. Other teams are penciling the Giants in to take a tackle at No. 5 or No. 7, a rival exec said, via Vacchiano. The Giants brought sizable contingents to the three top tackles’ pro days and have been previously linked to Cross, who rates behind Neal and Ekwonu.

With two picks in the top seven, it would surprise if one of the top three tackles remained on the board after the Giants’ second pick — assuming it is not traded. The Panthers, who hold the No. 6 pick, have eyed Ekwonu and Cross as well. That could put the Giants to the test with the first of their Round 1 choices, with other teams in front of them — namely the Texans and Jets — strong candidates to draft tackles as well. The Giants could exit the first round with a right tackle to join offseason additions Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano as part of their latest up-front overhaul.

Here is the latest from the draft realm:

Another candidate to join the Giants, Ahmad Gardner will pay them a visit and meet with several other teams ahead of the draft. The Cincinnati standout has emerged as the favorite to be the first cornerback taken, and ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson notes the Jets, Eagles, Lions and Seahawks join the Giants in scheduling “30” visits. The Giants and Jets are believed to have strong interest in Gardner, who seems unlikely to make it out of the top 10. The Jets hold the Nos. 4 and 10 picks.
The Cowboys brought in a few first-round prospects this week. Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis, Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd and Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green visited the Cowboys this week, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (all Twitter links). Lloyd and Davis rate as top-12 prospects, per NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah. Barring freefalls or Dallas trading up from No. 24, they will be out of range. Green is viewed by Jeremiah and ESPN.com as the top guard available, being slotted just outside the top 25 by each. The Cowboys, who lost Connor Williams in free agency, are targeting O-linemen early.
One of this draft’s top wide receivers, Treylon Burks has met with a few teams already. In addition to Cowboys and Buccaneers summits, the Arkansas product spent time with the Browns and Jets this week, Wilson tweets. The Texans are up next. The Browns are an unrealistic Burks suitor, having traded their first-round pick (No. 13) to the Texans, who would loom as a potential destination thanks to one of the choices they acquired in the Deshaun Watson deal. The Jets have made their wide receiver interest fairly well known this offseason.
Although they do not have a first-round pick until 2025, the Browns still hold their second-rounder (No. 44) this year. In addition to their Friday Burks meeting, the Browns brought in North Dakota State wide receiver Christian Watson, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. ESPN and Jeremiah slot the Division I-FCS product 45th. The 6-foot-4 pass catcher played with Trey Lance as a sophomore in 2019 and earned All-American acclaim in 2021.