Kenyon Green was a highly touted offensive lineman coming out of Texas A&M just a couple of years ago which is exactly why the Houston Texans drafted him with the 15th overall pick in 2022. Since then, Green has had somewhat of an up-and-down career in large part due to injury.
Green started 14 out of the 15 games he saw action during his rookie season, but things started to go south after the 2022 season when he was dealing with a shoulder injury in the offseason. He tried to push through it, electing not to have surgery, but in the Texans' final preseason game of 2023, the injury had gotten worse, ultimately shutting him down for the entire season.
Green is now working himself back into NFL form and will look to re-establish himself on the Texans' offensive line. When speaking with Sports Radio 610, Houston Texans' GM Nick Caserio touched on the efforts the Green has gone to to get himself back to where he once was.
"Yeah, we've talked about this a little bit on the show," Caserio said. "So this is really his first opportunity to kind of have a full off season of training. KG did a great job. He worked really hard, kind of changed some things up relative to his training, some things that work for him.
"So he's put himself in a good position to compete for a spot. In the end, it's going to be about performance, so whoever the player is, whatever the role is, they're going to determine it based on their performance. But he's got a good attitude, he's healthy, he's ready to go. So training camp will be the big litmus test for not only him, but a number of players for sure."
Getting to a mental state after a surgery that kept you on the sidelines for an entire season may be the toughest part. These athletes' bodies can respond like no other, and it appears that Green has taken care of himself when it comes to his training and preparedness to get back on the field.
Caserio elaborated on exactly what Green has been doing this offseason while continuing to praise him for getting his mindset back in shape as well as his body.
"He actually, he went up to Oregon and worked with a group for about four to five weeks," Caserio added. "So it was just kind of a different stimulus, kind of a different training I think at Dominic. And Sue works with a number of players up in Oregon.
"So he went up there for a few weeks and I mean sometimes players honestly, they just need a change of scenery. It's something different. And it worked for him and he came back. He's in again, a good head space. So frame of mind's important. So credit to him, credit to work that he's put in."
Green seemingly is about ready to go at full strength and will have a shot at regaining his starting spot along the offensive line this offseason as long as he can perform up to the level that made him a first-round draft pick back in 2022. There will be competition, but at the end of the day, the staff will put the best option in place to protect C.J. Stroud and create holes for running backs Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce to run through.
"So I mean, again, the true test will come in training camp, but he's positioned himself to have an opportunity to compete for the left guard spot," Caserio said. "And if he plays well enough, he'll play. If he doesn't, then it'll be somebody else. I mean, not to make it black or white, but that's the reality of what happens in this league. But it's a great kids worked really hard and the credit to him, I think the staff and a lot of people are proud of the work that he's done to this point. For sure."
