Eagles Film Review: If anyone can sort out Kenyon Green, it will probably be Jeff Stoutland

A closer look at Philadelphia’s new guard.

NFL free agency is here! I was hoping my first film review would be a bit more exciting, but here we are. This time, I’m diving into some film on new Philadelphia Eagles guard Kenyon Green and breaking down what I see. Let’s get into it!

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Stats

I’m sure you have seen the numbers but they aren’t great! Kenyon Green has been a massive disappointment since he was drafted 15th in 2022. There’s no way around it.

The Film

I’m going to roll through some clips I filmed from the few games I watched. I also had a quick chat with my podcast co-host @ShaneHaffNFL and we made sure we covered different games to see if we came away with a different perspective. As always, if you aren’t interested in offensive line film, just skip to the end where I give my overall summary!

Run Blocking

This is clearly the best part of Green’s game right now, and he has some impressive reps as a run blocker. There is clearly something to work with here. He has the movement skills to get to the 2nd level consistently.

You can see that ‘pop’ in the run game that you want to see!

One of his biggest issues is the inability to sustain his blocks. It happens too often.

There are a number of reps where he just flat out misses the defender. He’s pretty reckless out there. But the movement skills are eye-catching at times.

Pass Protection

His anchor is a serious issue. He’s frequently moved backwards. He has some reps where he looks unplayable.

The best linemen can recover when they struggle at the start of the rep. Green does not have that ability.

Everything looks slow in pass protection. He’s overthinking everything.

Side note: The Texans offensive line was awful last year. Thank goodness I wasn’t watching this team every week.

Overall

Kenyon Green is a physically gifted but technically raw offensive lineman with many obvious problems on film. His best traits show up in the run game, where his combination of size, power, and athleticism makes him a decent run blocker, mainly when working in space.

I can see why Jeff Stoutland is intrigued by this guy. He moves well off the snap, displaying impressive quickness for his size, and when he connects with defenders, he generates a good amount of force. He hits with that ‘pop’ you want to see in the run game but it is very inconsistent. His ability to climb to the second level and deliver blocks on smaller defenders is impressive. The 2nd clip I watched of his was the play where he drove the Colts’ defensive back into the ground and it got me excited! However, he sometimes struggles with accuracy and control, occasionally missing the defender entirely. He can be a little bit reckless at times. Every rep feels like a journey.

In pass protection, however, Green is a major work in progress. He looks like a rookie who has never been properly coached. He often plays with a wide base and poor balance, which doesn’t allow him to anchor properly, and stronger defenders frequently push him back. His hand usage is all over the place. He can land a strong initial punch, but if he loses early in a rep, he struggles to recover due to slow hands and a lack of technique. He doesn’t look coordinated at times and his hands and feet don’t seem to be on the same page. Even on successful reps, he looks like everything is hard work, with a lot of wrestling rather than controlled blocking. Nothing looks easy for him in pass protection. His pass protection needs significant improvement before he can be a reliable starter.

Given his weaknesses in pass protection, I don’t expect Green to start for the Eagles next year. I expect Green to be a backup at left guard while Jeff Stoutland can work on his technique. I’ve seen people discuss whether he is ready or not to start at right guard, but I think the last thing Green needs is a positional switch right now. Most of his career has been spent as a left guard, and I would leave him there for now. His athleticism, quickness and power make him an intriguing long-term developmental project. If he can clean up his technique, he has the potential to develop into a decent lineman. If anyone can sort out Kenyon Green, it will probably be Jeff Stoutland!

Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here.