Kenyon Green Is a Low-Risk, High-Reward Bet By The Eagles

Lost to many amid the shock of the C.J. Gardner-Johnson trade to Houston was what the Philadelphia Eagles got in return.

Along with a 2026 pick swap with the Eagles getting a higher Day 3 pick (Round 5) for a lower one (Round 6) was a physically gifted offensive lineman who didn’t work out in South Texas.

Kenyon Green was the 15th overall pick out of Texas A&M by the Texans in the same draft the Eagles selected Jordan Davis two slots earlier.

In an interesting footnote, Philadelphia traded No. 15, along with a pick in the fourth round (No. 124) and two in the fifth (Nos. 162 and 166 overall) to Houston in a targeted trade up for Davis believing Baltimore was going to snare the Georgia nose tackle at No. 14.

The Ravens ultimately selected All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton with the 14th selection and the Texans went to Green, who never clicked in Houston.

Over his three seasons with the Texans, Green, who turns 24 on March 15, had two offensive line coaches in George Warhop (2022) and Chris Strausser (2023 and 2024), both fine coaches but paling in comparison to the resume of Jeff Stoutland, arguably the best OL coach in the NFL.

That’s where the Eagles' intrigue in rebooting Green with a change in scenery stems from.

Stoutland and the organization did significant homework on Green back in 2022, including a top-30 visit, and had things not worked out in the attempt to get Davis, it’s possible Green would have been Plan B for Philadelphia at 15.

The bloom is off the rookie rose for Green. He’s dealt with serious shoulder issues that cost him the 2023 season and wasn’t effective with the Texans as a rookie or in 2024, grading out very poorly according to Pro Football Focus. He was ranked No. 77 of the 77 qualifying guards in his rookie campaign and No. 76 of 77 last season by PFF.

To my understanding, the Eagles are by no means penciling in Green as the starting right guard in place of Mekhi Becton, who remains an unrestricted free agent as of this writing.

Philadelphia is enamored with the 6-foot-4, 323-pounder’s physical gifts and guard/tackle versatility. However, even if Becton walks in free agency, the Eagles would pencil in third-year player Tyler Steen at RG to start and expect Green to provide competition.

A source close to the Texans described a situation in which both the team and Green felt a fresh start was needed. Houston was obviously not going to pick up Green’s fifth-year option nor will the Eagles but getting a full season to work with Stoutland could revive Green’s career.

The Houston source also indicated that the results for Green with the Texans were not indicative of anything negative off the field. In fact, the Humble, Texas native was described as “hard-working professional and accountable.”

It should be noted that the Texans also agreed to pay $1.5 million of Green’s $2.88 million salary for 2025.

Taking this kind of low-risk, high-reward swing at what is a foundational position for the Eagles is a worthwhile roll of the dice by GM Howie Roseman.

MORE NFL: Eagles' Star Wants To Elevate His Position