The Pittsburgh Steelers’ first preseason game of 2023 will take place on Friday, and it will be a road contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While there will be several players and major storylines to pay close attention to once the game gets underway, a more minor thing to watch for is whether offensive lineman Kendrick Green gets any snaps in the Steelers’ backfield. Judging by the way things have gone in the Steelers’ last three practices, there’s probably a good chance that Green will indeed get a snap or three at fullback.
On Sunday at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., Green once again was going through running back and tight end drills with those position groups to begin the individual portion of practice. He then proceeded to join in on the offensive line drills after jogging down the field.
The Steelers’ official Twitter account even posted a video of Green running the gauntlet drill on Sunday with the rest of the running backs. To add to the Green mystique, he was spotted catching passes on the JUGS machine after practice Sunday. There’s no reason for the Steelers to put on a dog and pony show ahead of a preseason game when it comes to Green. With him getting work as a fullback these last three days, it will be quite surprising if he doesn’t see some limited action at that position against the Buccaneers.
Adding to everything else concerning Green, it’s not like the Steelers will have a true fullback on their roster come Friday. Sure, Connor Heyward is listed as a tight end/fullback but even if he does play some fullback on Friday, he won’t likely play past the first half. On top of that, the Steelers’ running back group is sort of on the lighter side as the team enters an off day on Monday. In fact, even new running back John Lovett has been sidelined for more practices than he’s participated in since being signed. Once you get past Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren, and Anthony McFarland Jr, you’re left with Darius Hagans, Greg Bell, and Lovett.
Obviously, Green is likely to see action on the offensive line on Friday, possibly with most of those snaps coming at center. Will those come early in the game or later? It’s hard to say at this point. If I were to bet, I would wager that Green will indeed get snaps at fullback on Friday and either before or after he has played his snaps on the offensive line.
I’m not convinced at this point that what we have observed these past three days with Green is a ruse at all. Instead, it’s a legitimate opportunity for him to show some position flexibility in hopes that he can ultimately once again make the 53-man roster.
