Former Steelers OL Kendrick Green's Absolutely Bitter Comments On Pittsburgh "Glad I'm Not There Anymore"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to play the Houston Texans in Week 4 of the 2023 NFL regular season. During that game, they will be facing a player who is very familiar to the majority of the team, as well as the coaches, Kendrick Green. Green recently spoke with the media ahead of the matchup and his harsh comments left little doubt that he is feeling he was mistreated by Pittsburgh. 

Green spent two seasons with the Steelers after they drafted him in the third round in 2021. Originally a defensive tackle, he was moved to offensive line in college at Illinois. Like many offensive linemen, he got moved around as he came into the NFL. The Steelers had just lost future Hall of Famer Maurkice Pouncey to retirement and needed someone at center. 

Green was placed in that starting role his rookie year and struggled tremendously. Many critics of the team say that he was thrust into a position he wasn't meant to play, sooner than he was ready. However, he is also a professional football player and they sign up to be put in these difficult situations. 

Former Steelers OL Kendrick Green Shows There Is No Love Lost 

Recently, Green spoke to Aaron Wilson, a reporter from KPRC2 in Houston. Wilson asked Green about facing his old team. He wondered if it was motivating to see them after being traded earlier this year. Green acknowledged that he will be glad to catch up with some of the players, but he doesn't necessarily see this as motivation. 

"I don't even look at it like that really. I am glad it happened, glad I'm not there anymore, glad I'm here. It's just another game," remarked Green.

Green seemed to acknowledge that he feels that the Steelers treated him unfairly. Perhaps he is bitter about being forced to play center when he didn't want to instead of being able to compete for a spot as a guard during his rookie year. 

"I got put in a pretty tough spot when I was there... fortunate the way it worked out," acknowledged Green. "Grace of God."

He has started the first three games of the seasons as a guard for the Texans and told Wilson he is excited to show his old team what he can do. As for facing the Steelers' formidable defense? He is not scared of playing T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alex Highsmith, Larry Ogunjobi, or anyone else.

"They are good players, their resumes speak for themselves, gotta pay respect to that, but at the end of the day, we're out there trying to win."

Green can attempt to play all the Jedi mind tricks he wants, but his performance data speaks for itself. Being small for a lineman, he frequently gets pushed around by defenders. He started 15 games in black and gold in 2021 and it was nothing short of a disaster. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was in his final season and it was nothing but his own skill that kept him alive out there. Green wound up being benched for undrafted free agent J.C. Hassenauer.  

In 2022, the Steelers moved Green back to guard and allowed him to compete for a spot during camp. Unfortunately for him, he never saw any playing time. While Green might have felt he was treated unfairly, he also recognized his time with the Steelers was not going well. In fact, he said it was "trending down" prior to the trade. His Pro Football Focus grade prior to leaving the Steelers was an atrocious 39.5.

In August of 2023, he was traded to the Texans for a sixth-round draft pick. Since arriving in Houston he has been starting and his PFF score has risen to 55.3. This leaves Green to face a defense that has been eating offensive linemen for lunch so far this season. 

Green sounds a lot like he is in his feelings about his time in Pittsburgh. This really isn't surprising considering Green is known to reach out to his critics to complain. However, it is fair to say that meeting with your old team can provide some serious motivation. Even mid-level players can shine when presented with that kind of pressure. 

The Texans are coming into the game 1-2. They have less to lose than Pittsburgh, needing desperately to get their season on track. Headed into the game, the Texans rookie quarterback, C.J. Stroud has been sacked 11 times already this season, which makes it seem likely he will have a few more before the game is over. The Steelers defense needs to make sure they take Green, as well as the rest of the Houston offense seriously. Underestimating an opponent is one of the most dangerous things they can do. 

What do you make of Green's comments? Do you think he is angry at how he was used in Pittsburgh, or do you think he is bitter he was traded? Click to comment below.

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