The Pittsburgh Steelers are headed into their Week 4 matchup against the Houston Texans and will be facing a player they are very familiar with, offensive lineman Kendrick Green. Now another former Steelers offensive lineman, Ramon Foster, says that fans should not be surprised if Green has a decent game because of the "Chris Wormley Effect."
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Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Chris Wormley.
The Steelers drafted Green in the third round in 2021 out of Illinois. During his time in college, he moved from defensive tackle to offensive line. After being selected by the Steelers he was shifted to center, a position he hadn't really played before. After an unsuccessful first season, he spent the 2022 season on the sideline.
The Steelers traded Green to the Texans in August 2023 for a 2025 sixth-round pick. While Green spent time as a center for the Steelers, he will once again be starting at guard for Houston.
Steelers' Ramon Foster Said Fans Should Except Kendrick Green To Show Up
Former Steelers offensive guard Foster now co-hosts a podcast called The Ramon Foster Show with reporter Dejan Kovacevic on DK Pittsburgh Sports. The topic of playing against Green has been coming up during the episodes leading up to the Texans game.
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Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud enters a tough situation as a rookie on a rebuilding Texans squad.
Most analysts see Green as a weak spot on the Texans line, just like he was on the Steelers. The thought is that the Steelers defense can kind of "punch him in the mouth" in an effort to get to Houston rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.
But Foster cautions that it might not be that easy. There is a definite pride factor at play for Green, who may have felt discarded by the Steelers. Green's defenders felt that the Steelers set him up to fail, dropping him as a rookie into an unfamiliar position which is one of the toughest positions in football. He was also filling considerable shoes from nine-time Pro Bowler Maurkice Pouncey.
"I'll say this, don't be shocked when it comes down to Kendrick Green playing and if he plays well. You do a little more when you're ticked off. You do a little more when you're in a different situation. We gotta live in that world too where Kendrick will say, 'I'm out for blood.'"
Foster said he expects fans to wonder where this version of Green was when he was on the Steelers. But if the fans look at his work in the first three games of the 2023 season, they will see that Green is still a bit of a weak link, after all, Stroud has already been sacked 11 times.
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Former Steelers defensive end Chris Wormley celebrates a big play against his old team, the Baltimore Ravens.
This is also only one game, in only one week reminds Foster. Kovacevic said to Foster that he expects to see a bit of the "Chris Wormley Effect" come to bear. Whenever the Steelers played Baltimore, Kovacevic said, Head Coach Mike Tomlin would find Wormley and get him riled up. Foster laughed and agreed, then did an impression of Tomlin talking to Wormley.
"Can you motivate us in a Baltimore week? Are you gonna go after your own team?"
Wormley, a defensive end, was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of 2017. In 2020, he was traded to the Steelers along with a seventh-round draft pick. This move was very unusual, teams generally do not trade within their own division and sometimes even in their own conference. In fact, this was only the second trade these two bitter rivals had made since the Ravens moved to Baltimore in 1996.
Wormley suffered multiple injuries while with the Steelers, but always seemed to have his best games against the Ravens. Kovacevic joined in the fun of mimicking Tomlin speaking to Wormley to get him pumped up for the Ravens.
"They didn't want you when they traded you inside your own division. You got traded inside the AFC North, they're actually okay with you being on the other side of the field."
Foster agreed that the tactic might be nasty, but it definitely worked nearly every time, saying Wormley had his best games against the Ravens. For that reason, he said fans should expect Green to possibly operate in the same way. He anticipates that the Texans coaches will try to get Green pumped up similarly.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud takes a snap against the Jaguars in Week 2 next to left guard Kendrick Green.
Green's current overall Pro Football Focus grade is 55.3. To be fair to Green, this grade is on an upward trend. Immediately before his trade to the Texans, his grade was 39.5. Hopefully, Green is finding a fresh start in Texas, but it would be ideal if he could postpone it until after the Week 4 matchup.
What did you think about the way the Steelers used Green? Do you feel that he got hung out to dry a bit? What is your prediction for the Steelers/Texans game? Click to comment below.
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