Jonathan Greenard may be entering the final season of his rookie contract, but he can still be useful to the Houston Texans.
The former 2020 third-rounder from Florida has had flashes of dominance throughout his 33 games with Houston. Availability issues have been the biggest thorn for Greenard, who has found a way to generated 10.5 sacks, 19 quarterback hits, and even return an interception for a touchdown in that span.
One way the Texans showed their negotiating tactics with regards to Greenard’s expiring deal is to take defensive end Will Anderson No. 3 overall in the 2023 NFL draft. Even though Houston has signaled Anderson is the future on the edge, Greenard has still found ways to be a great teammate.
Anderson told reporters Monday after training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center that Greenard has been a stable veteran presence alongside 34-year-old Jerry Hughes.
“He’s helped me a lot, just mentally and everything like that,” Anderson said. “Getting through everything — he’s a smart guy as well. You know, him and Jerry favor each other a lot. You know, they just want to help me build my confidence up and everything like that. And whatever I need, he’s always there for me, teaching me stuff, showing me what move to do on this guy, how to do this move and everything like that. So, it’s been very fun to be a part of this with him.”
Greenard’s biggest season was in 2021 when he generated 33 combined tackles, 8.0 sacks, nine tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits, four pass breakups, and two forced fumbles through 12 games, all of which he started. Although Anderson may be the future, Greenard can still be productive in the first year of new coach DeMeco Ryans’ scheme.