Tuesday morning, Bob Labriola of Steelers.com took to his "Asked and Answered" weekly segment and had some interesting insight on Pittsburgh Steelers' first year center, Kendrick Green.
After what many in Steeler Nation believe to be an underwhelming rookie season for Green, speculation has already caught fire as to what position Green should play in 2022. I'm personally always critical of PFF.com, but even they only gave Green an overall grade of 52.4 in 2021. Green had nine penalties this season (tied for 2nd most in the league), and had three sacks allowed (tied for 5th most in the league) in an already young and subpar offensive line to begin with for Pittsburgh.
Green played guard in college at Illinois and the Steelers knew that moving to an NFL center would be quite the transition -- but far from impossible. Now the question arises however, would Green best suit the Steelers by going back to his natural position?
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Although fans may feel enticed by this possible move, Labriola is saying we should all hold our horses. Check out what he had to say here in his column this morning:
I cannot predict whether Kendrick Green will be able to turn himself into a quality NFL starter at center, but what I can tell you right now is that Green already is working with Maurkice Pouncey this offseason in an effort to do just that. My suggestion for fans is to be patient through the rest of this offseason, and then we all can judge Green and what his best NFL position will be once training camp begins in late July.
Labriola continued and spoke directly to the position discussion:
And also understand this: while fans, outside analysts, former players, and anyone else who can manage to get themselves behind a microphone might believe Green has a better chance to succeed at guard than center, Coach Mike Tomlin is not in that group. And because Green is working with Pouncey, and that Pouncey has agreed to help Green with the transition from guard to center, it seems to me that many of the principals involved are committed to this even if others are not.
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Love the take as we in Steeler Nation and NFL fans alike tend to always get caught up in what "we" would do, and not consider what the Steelers' front office is either already doing, or not even considering.
At just 23 years old, Green still has all the potential in the world and plenty of upside. He plays with a mean streak, an aggressive attitude, and a big ol' Steel City chip on his shoulder. If continuing to master the center position is what Green, head coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers decide to do, I trust them and I'm all for it. I think Green can continue to grow mentally, get stronger, and lead this offensive line for years to come. And who better to learn from than the 3x First Team All-Pro in Maurkice Pouncey.
What do yinz think? Are you looking forward to seeing Green move to guard, or do yinz think he can continue to grow in the center role? Click to comment below!
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