The Cleveland Browns added offensive line depth for the final stretch of the season, signing Kendrick Green off the Buffalo Bills practice squad ahead of Sunday’s Week 17 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The move comes after Cleveland placed running back Quinshon Judkins on injured reserve, opening a 53-man roster spot. Green, now in his fifth NFL season, had spent the entire year on Buffalo’s practice squad without being elevated for a game. He will wear No. 52.
A Familiar Name With a Complicated Past
Green entered the league as a third-round pick by Pittsburgh in the 2021 NFL Draft, starting 15 games at center as a rookie following the retirement of Maurkice Pouncey. Though Green played guard at Illinois, the Steelers shifted him inside due to roster needs. The results were uneven. By the end of his rookie season, Green was benched in favor of former undrafted free agent J.C. Hassenauer.
Pittsburgh moved Green to guard in 2022, where he lost the position battle in camp and was inactive for the entire season. He was traded to the Houston Texans in 2023, but injuries limited his impact. Over two seasons in Houston, Green appeared in 21 games with four starts, including just one start during the 2024 campaign.
Why the Browns Made the Move
Cleveland’s need up front has been obvious from the very beginning. Starting center Ethan Pocic was placed on injured reserve two weeks ago with a torn Achilles, forcing former sixth-round pick Luke Wypler into the starting lineup. The Browns have struggled to stabilize protection since. But the Browns have been feeling the struggles of their offensive line issues since the start of the season.
Under head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, Cleveland’s offensive line has allowed 43 sacks this season, tied with the New Orleans Saints for the eighth most in the league.
That pressure has directly impacted rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who has been sacked 13 times in his five starts, sixth most in that span. Among quarterbacks with at least 70 pass attempts over the past five games, Sanders owns the sixth-lowest completion rate at 58.3 percent and a 73.7 passer rating, tied for the second lowest. Only Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has posted a lower rating over that stretch.
At 6-foot-4 and 315 pounds, Green offers positional flexibility at both center and guard, something Cleveland desperately needs with two games remaining. While his early-career struggles are well documented, the Browns are betting that experience and urgency can translate into functional depth during a critical finish. But this is unlikely to change the approach of the Cleveland Browns to add offensive lineman depth through the upcoming NFL Draft.