When the Houston Texans used a first-round pick in 2022 on offensive lineman Kenyon Green, they did so hoping he would be a franchise building block in the trenches.
However, the left guard struggled throughout his rookie campaign, as he allowed four sacks (14th-most in the NFL) and committed 12 penalties (second-most) in 15 games (14 starts) with injuries riddled along the way.
In danger of being put on the "bust'' trail, Green's entering his second season with injury concerns once again, as he had arthroscopic knee surgery in March that forced him to miss OTAs. Nevertheless, Green is finally healthy and has shown improvement during training camp.
"(Green) has done a really good job," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said this week. "He loves football, (and) you can see it. He's excited when he's out there playing. He's competitive and he's continuing to get better. It's fun to watch (him) ... continue to grow."
Green revealed some changes he's made to his body to help continue his growth.
"Just cutting weight, making sure I'm in great shape coming into the offseason and training camp is what I've really been focused on," Green told KPRC2's Aaron Wilson on Tuesday. "(I've been eating) more vegetables, low carbs, high protein, smoked fish, chicken, stuff like that."
Green is very aware of his struggles last season, but said that he won't let them get in his way during his sophomore campaign.
"I'm just rolling with the punches, just continuing to push myself and block out the negativity and push for more positive things,” Green said. "I'm just focused on getting better and helping my team as much as I can."
Green explained that Texans strength and conditioning coach Mike Eubanks was a major factor in blocking out the negativity this offseason.
"(Eubanks is) a great mentor," Green said. "He just talks to me and gets my mental right because football is mostly mental. You got to focus on getting stuff done in your head before you get it done out on the field."
Green stated that he lost a "fair amount" of weight and that he's "quicker" because of it. This new confidence blossomed into Green giving himself great expectations.
"(I'm expecting to have) a great year," Green said. "(I want to do) everything I can to protect the quarterback, run the ball and help my teammates as much as I can. I'm very excited to go out there, play ball and be myself."
Green said that he's been having fun during training camp and he's "getting back to playing (his) brand of football."
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