Had he made the team, Kendrick Green was destined to be a backup in Pittsburgh. Despite just being traded to the Houston Texans 48 hours ago, there’s a real chance Green could open the year as a starter. And then face his former team in Week Four when the Texans host the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Houston acquired Green largely due to the recent rash of injuries it suffered. Former first-round pick OG Kenyon Green landed on IR with a shoulder injury, knocking him out for the year. Right tackle Tytus Howard broke his hand and will miss the next four to six weeks. Early in the summer, Scott Quessenberry tore up his knee, ending his year before it began. And rookie center Juice Scruggs, their expected starter in the middle, suffered a hamstring injury that not only will keep him out of the regular-season opener but the first four weeks of the season. The Texans placed Scruggs on IR earlier today, meaning he’ll miss at least the first month.
That leaves the Texans with few interior options. There is veteran Shaq Mason, a likely starter. Jarrett Patterson was drafted a few rounds after Scruggs and may be thrust into the lineup. And the team claimed Nick Broeker off waivers from the Buffalo Bills. But those are guard-types who don’t have as much experience in the middle. Patterson did play a fair bit of center at Notre Dame but finished his career as a guard and has gotten more time there this summer. There is more experienced center Jimmy Morrissey on the team’s practice squad, but the Texans opted to cut him and trade for Green instead of just keeping him on their initial 53.
Texans radio personality Jeremy Branham believes this is how the Week One lineup will look.
Ready or not, Green might become the next man up in the middle. He’ll have to hop on a fast-moving train but if there’s one thing that helps – at least a little – is the Texans’ Week One opponent. Houston opens the season against the Baltimore Ravens, a tough front, but a team and scheme Green is at least familiar with, from his first two years in the league with the Steelers.
With Scruggs ineligible to return until after the Steelers game, Green may be forced to start in the middle until that point. Which puts him on track to face Pittsburgh in Week when the Steelers travel to Houston for a 1 PM kickoff. Green will have to battle against the likes of Cam Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, and NTs Montravius Adams and rookie Keeanu Benton. On paper, the Steelers have the obvious advantage but it would make for one heck of a subplot heading into that weekend.
