In a matter of weeks, Kendrick Green has gone from the butt of every joke to something of a cult hero. Beginning with Friday Night Lights practice, Green has seen significant snaps at fullback during every practice. Not only is he playing there, he’s playing well, catching passes, throwing crushing blocks, and even picking up a first down on a fullback dive during Tuesday’s short-yardage session.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Pittsburgh Steelers’ Assistant GM Andy Weidl talked about Green’s new-found positional flexibility.
“This is the time of year to experiment,” Weidl said, as tweeted by The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly. “You’ve seen different guys line up in different positions. Just trying to find out about players and their skill sets.”
As Weidl notes, Green isn’t the only one, though he’s the one getting the most attention about it. Defensive linemen Isaiahh Loudermilk and James Nyamwaya, a rookie, have gotten work at standup outside linebacker while in yesterday’s session, TE Zach Gentry took a quarterback sneak, TE Pat Freiermuth took a jet sweep, and TE Connor Heyward threw a touchdown pass during the team’s goal-line session.
But Green’s conversion is the most interesting. To be clear, he’s still playing center and should see more snaps along the offensive line than in the backfield in Friday’s preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But the Steelers seem serious about giving Green a chance to add to his resume and potentially keep his roster spot. He began camp either squarely on the bubble or on the outside-looking-in. Now, he has a chance to make the team and be active on gameday as the team’s eighth offensive lineman, occasionally seeing snaps at fullback.
It’s value a No. 8 offensive lineman typically doesn’t offer. Green also wouldn’t be the first Steelers’ offensive lineman to see time in the backfield. Doug Legursky was occasionally used in the “Bronco” package. Here’s two clips from his time in the backfield, both short-yardage scores by the Steelers.
Until the experiment no longer pays dividends, the Steelers will keep putting Green at fullback. It hasn’t all been perfect for him — he’s whiffed on blocks when working out in space — but it’s a worthwhile shot at this stage of his career. If it doesn’t work, the team can scrap the idea and lose little over it. That’s what training camp is for and flexibility has been on display more than ever this year at Saint Vincent College.
