Texans Coach Thrilled With Return of 'Passionate' OL

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was pleased with what he saw from Kenyon Green.

Jul 30, 2023; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans guard Kenyon Green (59) signs autographs for fans after training camp practice at the Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images / Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Houston Texans offensive lineman Kenyon Green has had an up-and-down start to his short NFL career.

After a stellar collegiate career at Texas A&M where he earned Freshman All-American honors in 2019 and All-American honors in 2020 and 2021, the Houston Texans selected him with the 15th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Green immediately hit the ground running his rookie season, seeing playing time in 15 games while starting 14. Then trouble hit as he dealt with injury issues.

Before Green's second professional season, he dealt with a shoulder injury that was thought to be something that could be worked through. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case as Green became injured in the Texans' final preseason game of the year - ultimately landing him on injured reserve and out for the year.

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This offseason Green has worked tirelessly to get back onto the field and was able to see his first game action in over a year when the Texans faced off against the Indianapolis Colts this past Sunday. Following the game head coach DeMeco Ryans spoke to the media about whether or not he expected Green to have this type of impact when he arrived at the organization.

“Right, when I first got here, Kenyon, first-round pick, you’re expecting him to be that guy. Starting, playing for you the first year. It didn’t work out that way. He had some injury issues and things to clean up. He was able, this second year with them, he put the work in, in the offseason," Ryans said.

"In February, he was off sight training really getting his body ready for this season and it’s what he’s showing in our first game of the year. It goes back to the work that he put in February when nobody’s watching, nobody’s thinking about what he’s doing, he had it on his mind. And I could see it last year, just him being around, although he was on IR, just seeing how he was in our meetings and he’d come out, like, ‘Coach, man I’m ready. I want to play. I miss being out there.’ So, you saw eagerness, you saw a guy who’s passionate about the game. He put the work in and we’re seeing the benefits of the work that he’s put in.”

It's obvious that Green has been itching to get back on the field after not playing for such an extended period and it showed with his play on Sunday as he played left guard for the Texans throughout the entirety of the game and was a force on the offensive line, grading out as the team's best pass blocker by Pro Football Focus (79.0).

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DeMeco Ryans continued to gush over Green's contributions to the team on Sunday when speaking to reporters and is excited to continue to grow alongside the former first-round draft pick.

“From Kenyon [Green] I see the second play of the game, you see Kenyon the way he comes off the ball and the way he finished in such a physical manner on the second play of the game that let me instantly know how he was going to play the entire game. You saw a relentless, finish mentality, you saw the physicality, you saw the quickness getting up to the second level," said Ryans on Green's tenacity early in the game. "Kenyon just got better as the game continued to progress so it was very encouraging to see where Kenyon started the season yesterday and to see how much better he can continue to be as we continue to go through this year.”

Moving forward it appears that Kenyon Green has the edge over his former replacement Kendrick Green for the team's starting left guard spot and he, along with the rest of the Texans, will get their next shot at a win when the team returns to NRG Stadium for their home opener against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.

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