Pittsburgh Steelers OL Kendrick Green has been a training camp darling due to his work at fullback over the team’s past two practices. But he’s still working at offensive line, and in particular Green mentioned getting extra reps to try and improve at center, his primary position where he started as a rookie, during an appearance on Training Camp Wrap-Up on Steelers.com.
“I think the biggest thing with me was just time and reps at the position,” Green said after practice Saturday. “When l was a rookie and I was starting at center, I was kind of green to it. But now I feel a lot more comfortable working with [assistant offensive line coach] Isaac Williams every day before practice and once I’m done with you guys, I’m about to go get some more work after practice. So he’s been great. I did with him all year last year when I was inactive and I’m just trying to keep chipping away every day and just get a little bit better each and every day.”
Green was a mess as a center in 2021, starting 15 games and posting a woeful 52.4 PFF grade. That led Pittsburgh to go out and sign Mason Cole to man the center position and relegated Green to a backup role.
His roster spot looked a little tenuous heading into camp but expanding his versatility by working as a fullback. But it’s going to be hard for him to make that his full-time position at this point, so being able to stick on the team as a backup guard and center is going to be important. He knows that, and working on getting extra reps with the coaching staff is incredibly important for his long and short-term roster outlook.
The Steelers don’t have a clear-cut backup center on the roster, so if Green can stake claim to that job, it will give him the opportunity to potentially get some reps in at fullback/H-back during the season. He has to prove he can be a competent offensive lineman in order to make the roster, and getting reps in as often as possible before and after practice is going to be key to showing that.
Green has gone from an afterthought and one of the least-liked players on the roster to a fan favorite thanks to his work at fullback over the past two days. But a few good blocks and catches at the position won’t be enough to keep him on the 53-man roster alone. It’s a good sign that he seems to be improving and getting more comfortable at center, and positional versatility on top of his work at center will be his ticket to staying in Pittsburgh for a third season.
