The 1 Big Problem With The Eagles Trading For Kenyon Green
The Eagles shocked everyone on Tuesday by parting ways with Safety CJ Gardner-Johnson, to get back Offensive Guard Kenyon Green, and a swap of picks in the 2026 draft. Let’s put the part where they lost a talented safety who was a spark plug for the defense aside though, and solely look at the acquisition of Kenyon Green.
Green was great at Texas A&M, hence why the Texans made him the 15th overall pick as a Guard. If teams are spending a premium pick on an Offensive Lineman, it is usually for a Tackle. But Green was good enough to be worth that cost as a Guard. The problem is it did not pay off for the Texans.
Since joining Houston, he has been one of the worst guards in the league. He held onto his job for 3 years, so that is saying something, but he struggled the whole time. PFF grades are not the most reliable things, but he was the worst guard during his rookie season, missed 2023 with a shoulder injury, and was the 4th worst-graded guard last year.
Will Kenyon Green Thrive At Stoudland University?
The argument people in favor of the move are making is that now he is enrolling in Stoutland U. The guy who took an apparent bust in Mekhi Becton and made him a star again. If anyone can turn Green’s career around, it would be Jeff Stoutland.
I would counter that if he can do that for Green, he could also do that with Tyler Steen, Trevor Keegan, or whatever OG is currently in the NFL bargain bin. But Green is here now.
My real problem is, say he does turn Green into a star. Say Green is just as good this year as Becton was last year. He is in the last year of his deal. So a year from now, he will get paid by another team, and you are right back to square one.
Becton was great because he came out of nowhere, and cost nothing. The Eagles had to give up a defensive starter to get Green. He is not out of the bargain bin, this trade made the Eagles’ defense worse.
If they got back a multi-year starter at OG who didn’t cost much against the cap, maybe that would be worth it. But Green is a reclamation project, who in the best case scenario, is here for one year. And that is the best case. He may be the backup to Steen. There is no guarantee he just magically gets better here. Stoutland is a great coach, but he can’t just make anyone into a star. If he could, the Eagles could just mix and match UDFAs every year.
If Stoutland was actually able to just do what some fans think he can do, they would not have needed to pay Landon Dickerson and Jordan Mialiata the massive contracts they gave them. They would not be about to give Cam Jurgens an extension. Stoudland gets the most he can out of players, but the players still need to have that ceiling.
Maybe Kenyon Green has that ceiling. But it was a high price to pay for a project that will only be here for one season.
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