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The Houston Texans selected defensive end Jonathan Greenard out of Florida with their third-round pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Texans fans had high hopes for Greenard entering his rookie season after flashing an impressive 19.5 sacks throughout his college career.
Greenard played sparingly throughout his rookie season, playing in 13 games but only starting one of them. His rookie season ended with one sack, three quarterback hits and 19 total tackles. Entering the 2021 season, most people did not know what to expect with Greenard but it is safe to say that he exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Entering this past season, Greenard earned the starting defensive end job and would go on to have his breakout season. Greenard played in just 12 games but accumulated eight sacks, 33 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hits. Greenard was also the 7th-highest graded pass rusher in the NFL with an elite 89.2 grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
Although this past season was Greenard’s breakout year, he also dealt with a lingering foot injury along with testing positive for COVID-19 mid-season, which led to a bit of inconsistency. If Greenard can stay healthy moving forward, the sky is the limit for him.
“He will take another big step this year,” coach Lovie Smith said in an interview with Marc Vandermeer.
Although Greenard hasn’t been participating in the Texans offseason OTA’s due to him not being fully healthy after undergoing offseason surgery, he is still making a significant impression on Head Coach Lovie Smith and the Texans staff.
One of the Texans many problems in 2021 was the pass rush. Outside of Greenard, the results were not where they needed to be. The Texans added more depth to the defensive line this offseason with the additions of Mario Addison, Jerry Hughes, Rasheem Green and Ogbo Okoronkwo.
If Greenard can stay healthy for a full season in 2022, 10+ sacks is the floor for the talented pass rusher entering his third season in the league.
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