Pittsburgh Steelers trade OL Kendrick Green to Houston Texans

The Steelers traded offensive lineman Kendrick Green to the Texans on Tuesday as the team trims its roster to a mandated 53 players.

Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported the news.

Green was on the active roster for all of last season, but he never was active for a game. This was after the Steelers switched him from center to guard. However, in 2021, the former Illinois standout made 15 starts at center. Pittsburgh selected him in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Trade! The #Steelers traded OL Kendrick Green to the #Texans, per source.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 29, 2023

Ian Rapoport, another NFL Network reporter, said that the Steelers received a sixth-round draft pick from the Texans to secure Green. It’s the second trade Pittsburgh has pulled off since the weekend. The Steelers sent Kevin Dotson to the Rams on Sunday.

Compensation update: It's a 6th rounder from 2025 for Kendrick Green. https://t.co/Wg8qHTuWSB

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 29, 2023

Steelers selected Kendrick Green as a center, but then signed Mason Cole in free agency in 2022

Because of injuries, Kendrick Smith started at right guard for the Steelers preseason finale. On Monday, he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he was unconcerned about a possible trade.

“I felt like I played pretty solid (in Atlanta),” Green told the Post-Gazette. “I struggled the first game a little bit, but the last two games were good. (And) I just wanted to play solid, and I feel like I did that. We’ll see.”

After starting for most of his rookie season, the Steelers signed center Mason Cole and moved Green back to guard, where he’d played in college. But he never could see the field. That made him expendable.

Yet Green also was flexible, which made him an attractive keep for a reserve lineman. He also even played some fullback during training camp.

“I ain’t really worried about it,” he said. “It is what it is. Whatever happens, happens.”

And what happened is Green ends up in Houston where the Texans are trying to build a better offensive line around rookie quarterback CJ Stroud. The Texans selected Stroud, the Ohio State star, with the No. 2 pick in the draft. So they’re giving him help. They also traded for offensive lineman Josh Jones last week. Jones played his collegiate football at Houston, so he’s coming home.