Kenyon Green suffered a shoulder injury amid the Houston Texans’ preseason win against the New Orleans Saints in August 2023. The incident placed Green on injured reserve, which caused him to miss all of the 2023 season.
The injury was the latest distressing event hampering Green’s start to his pro career. However, six days into training camp, Green has given the Texans a glimpse into his health and on-field progress ahead of his third season.
“Kenyon has matured a lot, he has put in a lot of work — his body is in the best position he has been in, his mind is in the best position he has been in,” Tytus Howard said.
“He is very confident in his ability and he has put it all together. He has been out here putting some good stuff on the field for these first couple of days of camp and I am excited to see him grow. Like I have told him, I have been in the same position he is in right now, you just have to keep working, keep grinding. Keep grinding and it is going to get better. I feel like it is going to be a good year for him.”
Green’s third season will be crucial for his ongoing development. In 2022, he started 14 out of 15 games as a rookie. His rookie season was injury-plagued, and he allowed 47 pressures, 31 hurries, 12 quarterback hits, and five sacks at left guard.
Six days into training camp, Green has held his own against the pass rush while creating significant gaps in the rushing attack. His play during practice has left Howard and the rest of his peers proud of his perseverance from the previous year.
“Kenyon came into this league as a young kid,” Howard said. “He was one of the youngest guys in his draft class and he is still younger than some of the rookies this year. So you have to take that into fact that he is still a young kid and he has a lot to grow.
“But he has been taking everything we have been pouring into him and he has been very positive about everything that has been brought to him this year. I am excited to see him continue to grow and it’s not going to be perfect, it’s not perfect for us.”