Ryans Stands Up for Struggling Kenyon Green

It may have been lost in the shuffle of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud being named the Week 1 starter, but the Houston Texans made a change to their starting five up front.

Left guard Michael Deiter got the start in Sunday’s 17-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints. With it came the inherent demotion of guard Kenyon Green.

“Deiter, he was the guy that deserved more reps, so we gave him some of the reps, seeing how he looked with the first team,” Ryans said on Monday.

Green was the 15th pick in last year’s draft. He struggled as a rookie, posting an abysmal 37.7 grade from Pro Football Focus. This preseason hasn’t been much better. Ryans hinted at there being more to Green’s career than meets the eye.

“Kenyon has done a great job of battling through,” Ryans continued. “He’s dealing with some things. He’s battled through a lot. It’s been tough on him …

“Tough kid going through a lot, but he tried to go every single day. He pushed it for us and I’m proud of his effort he put out there.”

There is little use in speculating what has gone wrong thus far in Green’s young career, but it sounds like the door is open to work his way back into the starting lineup. Until then, he joins Houston’s impressive collection of second-team linemen. Tackle George Fant was brought in this offseason, and they just traded for former Arizona Cardinals lineman Josh Jones. Either could start if tackle Tytus Howard isn’t ready for the season opener.

Ryans words signify that Green’s story isn’t over. The Texans hope that their newly-established culture can pay dividends and recapture the talent that made Green a first-round pick.