Former Pittsburgh Steelers, now Houston Texans, guard Kendrick Green reportedly suffered a torn meniscus and will be out for an indefinite amount of time, according to ESPN Houston Texans writer DJ Bien-Aime.
Green suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of Houston’s 30-7 win Sunday over the Steelers, the team that had drafted him in 2021. Pittsburgh traded Green to the Texans in August and received a 2025 sixth-round pick in return. Green appeared in four games and started three of them for a Houston offensive line that has had more than its fair share of injuries. However, despite the injuries, the line protected rookie QB C.J. Stroud, who was not sacked at all. Stroud finished the game with 306 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-30 passing. The run game also worked well for 139 yards on a combined 38 carries.
The lack of sacks for the Steelers was a disappointment. Neither Alex Highsmith nor T.J. Watt provided a game-breaking play in a game that was 16-6 in the third quarter. Green was not the only reserve offensive lineman pressed into service for Houston as multiple linemen were on injured reserve, including C Scott Quessenberry and Juice Scruggs as well as OT Tytus Howard. Factor in injuries to OT Laremy Tunsil and OT/G Josh Jones, and the offensive line should have been ripe for the Pittsburgh pass rush. Yet the patchwork offensive line, including Green, held firm and kept Stroud protected, allowing him to play mistake-free football in the win.
Green was a third-round pick of the Steelers in the 2021 NFL Draft. He started 15 games in his rookie season at center but struggled. He was inactive for the entirety of the 2022 season. During the preseason, he saw 112 snaps as a backup center and 19 snaps at right guard. Pittsburgh also experimented with him as a fullback in training camp.
