One could argue that the Pittsburgh Steelers have the most depth throughout the roster in 2023 than the organization has had in several years. The 2023 offseason was a busy one for General Manager, Omar Khan and Head Coach, Mike Tomlin. It was clearly a goal to bring in the most competition possible in all three phases of the game and after two successful preseason games, it seems as if the approach is getting the best out of the players on the field. With one more exhibition matchup still to be played, the coaching staff will have to decide who has earned the right to stay and which guys will be looking for new homes.
Throughout training camp and the preseason, media pundits and fans alike seem to enjoy the opportunity of getting overly excited about certain players and teams, but there are also a bunch of guys fighting for rosters spots who get heavily criticized. The Steelers have several players fighting for their positions on the depth chart and not all have been overly impressive.
It's hard not to bring that topic up without pointing to current backup center, Kendrick Green. Tomlin was clearly not happy with his second preseason performance and the third-year offensive lineman has not lived up to any hype. He could potentially be cut and not even make the 53-man roster if the team has a legitimate plan to back up Mason Cole.
Green did not make the active roster for one game in 2022 after being the team's starting center in 2021. He was transitioned to his more natural position at guard in his second season, but never saw the field. He needed a great training camp to make his case and it hasn't been what he's hoped for. Thursday night's game against the Atlanta Falcons might be his last in the black and gold.
Steelers' Green Defends Himself Against Andrew Fillipponi
For the most part, players seem to try and stay away from the negative media that may come their way. Green has certainly received a lot of it since the Steelers drafted him in 2021. The day after the team's Saturday preseason win against the Buffalo Bills, popular 'hot take' artist, Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan, called for the franchise to cut Green.
Green caught whiff of the comment and actually slid into the radio hosts direct messages to defend himself. He implied that because the offensive line was operating in an outside zone scheme, he wasn't at fault for being caught off guard and getting demolished by a defender.
While it's a tweet and hard to understand Fillipponi's tone, he seems to be extremely sarcastic. He went out of his way to post a private conversation and then even took another shot at Green. The center did have woefully bad snaps in both of the team's exhibition matchups.
The lineman is clearly bothered by the criticism, but it's hard to defend him sticking up for himself when he has already had several errant snaps during the team's first two preseason games along with penalties. He isn't doing himself many favors by his play on the field and it's not the best look when he finds a small hole in one person's arguments and tries to call them on it.
The writing may be on the wall for Green. It's hard to imagine that Nate Herbig or Ryan McCollum wouldn't play better if needed to be called upon as the backup center in 2023. He has potentially run out of his chances to provide value to the offensive line and no one should be surprised if he is looking for a new team to play for in early September.
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