When IOL Kendrick Green took the field for Pittsburgh’s Friday Night Lights practice, nobody expected that he would be the main player in the spotlight.
That’s because Green ended up playing fullback for a few reps during the practice, blowing up defenders as a lead blocker and even catching a pass on a misdirection play. However, Green himself said after practice that he didn’t think that fullback would be in his future, that it may have been a “today thing only” regarding the practice in front of a packed house at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
OT Broderick Jones had other thoughts when asked about Green and playing fullback, calling it a little wrinkle that may rear its head again in the future.
“Man, he had everybody hyped,” Jones said about Green via video from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s YouTube channel. “Yeah, man, I’m happy for him, you know? That’s gonna be a big asset for us in the long run because, you know, people just don’t see that too often. They won’t expect it, so make, it’ll work out.”
Could this have been a Freudian slip by the rookie to the media Saturday morning? Possibly, as Green downplayed the possibility of himself playing any fullback in the near future. Jones may just be speaking based off his own opinion here, but if the Steelers have talked about Green playing fullback during team meetings, perhaps it could be a package Pittsburgh turns to at some point in 2023.
HC Mike Tomlin has stated that the Steelers weren’t bashful in their intentions to run the football down their opponents’ throats last season and look to do the same thing again this season. After adding Jones and Darnell Washington via the draft and signing guards Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig in free agency, Pittsburgh shows it is indeed beefing up the running game.
Adding a 300-pound lead blocker with strength and athleticism to mow down defenders in his path would only help with that identity. And should Green make the roster as the backup center, perhaps we could see short yardage/goal line packages where Green lines up at fullback to lead the way for Najee Harris to reach paydirt.
