Ladarius Green has made his first official appearance in Pittsburgh, and chatting with the media for the first time. As Dave Bryan just wrote, Green will wear #80 for the Steelers.
The newly signed tight end says he currently weighs 250 pounds but might add another five, according to a tweet sent out by DVE’s Mike Prisuta. It also includes the first picture of Green in Steelers’ attire.
Going into the 2012 Combine, he weighed 238 pounds, but has predictably added since coming into the league. That extra weight will be important for a player who is likely to play with his hand down more than he did in San Diego, roughly 37% of the time, so he can handle the rigors of playing in the trenches as a full, 16 game starter.
Of course, given his skillset as an athletic tight end, a mold the Steelers have never really shown interest in before, you can expect him to play standing up much more than Heath Miller ever did.
Green also noted that he underwent recent surgery on his ankle but expects to be ready for July’s training camp, according to Ray Fittipaldo.
Aside from his blocking, one of the biggest knocks on him was an injury history. Last year, he suffered two concussions over a two week span. He missed one game because of it. He also battled an ankle injury, presumably that led to the offseason surgery, in November against the Baltimore Ravens. Green sat out the next week but returned to play in Week 11 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
After the injury, Green caught just 10 passes the rest of the season and held out of the end zone. Prior to it, he hauled in 27 passes and four touchdowns, so the ankle could be a great explanation for the dip in production. But given the fact he gritted it out for the rest of the season, there should be no reason to be concerned about it as a long-term issue.
