HOUSTON – Texans offensive guard Kenyon Green was officially activated from injured reserve after being designated for return a week ago.
Green participated fully in practice Tuesday and has made a full recovery from a shoulder injury suffered against the New York Jets.
Recommended Videos
Having Green back gives the Texans depth and options at left guard where Tytus Howard started against the Miami Dolphins as rookie Blake Fisher started at right tackle with Howard shifted over from his regular right tackle spot. Starting left guard Juice Scruggs is out for one to two more weeks with a foot injury, per league sources.
Kenyon Green, the Texans’ former starting left offensive guard, is a former first-round draft pick from Texas A&M and a one-time blue-chip recruit from Atascosita High School.
Kenyon Green was nearly replaced by Kendrick Green before the Jets game after being benched against the Indianapolis Colts and replaced by Jarrett Patterson before Patterson suffered a concussion and was ruled out of the game. Green went back in and finished the game. Now, Patterson is the Texans’ starting center.
Kenyon Green was struggling against the Jets’ pressure packages, allowing penetration. While he had one pancake block in an encouraging moment, his overall blocking performance was shaky.
Green had already been put on notice.
Green allowed seven pressures, one sack, two quarterback hits and had a season-low 21.9 pass blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus analytics, and was benched and replaced by Patterson before being reinserted into the game against the Colts when Patterson suffered a concussion when his helmet collided with linebacker E.J. Speed’s knee in a 23-20 win at NRG Stadium. Green went back into the game and eventually his play stabilized in the second half after some words of encouragement from offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.
Green had a rough game against the Green Bay Packers, as did Scruggs. Green had a 29.0 pass blocking grade and allowed one sack, three pressures and two hurries.
Green got into much better shape this offseason after missing his entire second season with a torn labrum. He’s down to 315 pounds, losing roughly 30 pounds. However, he’s still having fundamental blocking issues and his play has declined since arguably the best performance of his career in the season-opener against the Colts when he regularly pancaked defenders and allowed zero pressures or sacks and had a 74.4 pass blocking grade.
To his credit, Green, 23, was accountable about his shortcomings in the game.
“I wasn’t playing well,” Green said after the Colts game. “So, they had to make changes. It’s football. You got ups and downs. So, just continue to keep going, keep pushing.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
