HOUSTON – The Texans are trading offensive guard and former first-round draft pick Kenyon Green to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, per a league source.
The overhaul of the Texans’ disappointing offensive line continues as they’re trading five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders and are releasing veteran right guard Shaq Mason. It’s a new day in Houston for the offensive line.
Recommended Videos
Traded to the Eagles, this represents a fresh start for Green and the Texans communicated that they felt like him getting a new opportunity was in his best interests with all of the change going on with the offensive line. The Texans will pay $1.5 million of Green’s $2.88 million guaranteed salary for 2025, the final year of his $15.953 million rookie contract, per league sources, as part of the trade terms.
Green struggled after being selected 15th overall out of Texas A&M.
The Texans will also send a 2026 fifth-round draft pick to the Eagles in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.
This ends a difficult tenure for Green, a former blue-chip recruit from Atascosita High School.
By acquiring Gardner-Johnson, the Texans add an instinctive, ball-hawking safety who has 18 career interceptions as he joins a loaded secondary that already includes All-Pro corner Derek Stingley Jr., cornerback Kamari Lassiter, safety Calen Bullock and nickel Jalen Pitre.
Gardner-Johnson is only 27 and had six interceptions last season for the Super Bowl champions. He’s due $8.5 million this year and $11.5 million in the final two years of his contract, which has void years from 2027 to 2030.
Kenyon Green was nearly replaced by Kendrick Green before the New York Jets game after being benched against the Indianapolis Colts and replaced by Jarrett Patterson before Patterson suffered a concussion and was ruled out of the game. Green went back in and finished the game.
Kenyon Green struggled against the Jets’ pressure packages, allowing penetration. While he had one pancake block in an encouraging moment, his overall blocking performance was shaky.
Green had already been put on notice.
Green allowed seven pressures, one sack, two quarterback hits and had a season-low 21.9 pass blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus analytics, and was benched and replaced by Patterson before being reinserted into the game against the Colts when Patterson suffered a concussion when his helmet collided with linebacker E.J. Speed’s knee in a 23-20 win at NRG Stadium. Green went back into the game and eventually his play stabilized in the second half after some words of encouragement from former offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.
Green had a rough game against the Green Bay Packers Green had a 29.0 pass blocking grade and allowed one sack, three pressures and two hurries.
Green got into much better shape last offseason after missing his entire second season with a torn labrum. He’s down to 315 pounds, losing roughly 30 pounds. However, he’s still having fundamental blocking issues and his play has declined since arguably the best performance of his career in the season-opener against the Colts when he regularly pancaked defenders and allowed zero pressures or sacks and had a 74.4 pass blocking grade.
To his credit, Green, 23, was accountable about his shortcomings in the game.
“I wasn’t playing well,” Green said after the Colts game. “So, they had to make changes. It’s football. You got ups and downs. So, just continue to keep going, keep pushing.”
- Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.