When Kenyon Green suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, the Houston Texans shook up their offensive line. They moved Juice Scruggs from center to left guard, in place of Green. They then brought Jarrett Patterson in at center.
Through two games, this move has paid off with the sixth-round pick from 2023 peforming at a high level.
Against Detroit, Patterson earned a 65.9 pass block grade, far superior to anything they saw from Green. In Week 11, he was graded at 71.3 in pass protection. Those numbers are solid but they don't tell the whole story.
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Houston has had serious issues keeping C.J. Stroud clean in the pocket, with Green being graded at 40.9 in pass blocking and 39.4 overall. He was credited by PFF for allowing five sacks, four hits, and 27 pressures. He was also flagged seven times.
Patterson, on the other hand, has allowed one sack, no hits, and four pressures. He's also picked up no flags. Against the Cowboys, he was in pass protection 38 times and didn't allow one pressure.
Jarrett Patterson vs the Cowboys
— PFF HOU Texans (@PFF_Texans) November 22, 2024
🔹 38 pass-blocking snaps
🔹 0 pressures allowed pic.twitter.com/1Li2BRfmDe
It's been tough for Green, who has struggled since being selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. After three seasons full of injuries and subpar performances, it wouldn't be surprising to see Houston move on in 2025.
The only question now is whether they've seen enough from Scruggs and Patterson to keep them as two of their starter on the interior long-term.