Jon Greenard has never been called a prototypical defensive end in terms of size, strength or speed.
Where the Texans' defensive end and former All-Southeastern Conference pass rusher at Florida has consistently drawn praise since being drafted in the third round is for his toughness, technique, instincts and work ethic.
Greenard displayed those traits during a 24-9 loss to the Carolina Panthers, recording a sack and forced fumble on quarterback Sam Darnold. It was his first game since spraining his ankle against the Green Bay Packers during a preseason opener.
Starting in a revamped defensive line along with fellow defensive end Jacob Martin, Greenard was part of a resurgent pass rush that recorded three sacks and five quarterback hits.
“He was productive when he played in the preseason and I don’t know how many reps, but he probably got as many reps as any other defensive lineman this week," Texans defensive coordinator Lovie Smith said. "He’s exactly what we are looking for at the six-technique position. He’s big enough to play the run. He definitely has pass rush ability. He plays hard. Reps, same thing, as a young player who hasn’t played a lot, but there is a reason why we are giving him more reps. I think he can help us as we go forward.”
Greenard (6-foot-3, 263 pounds) had 19 tackles and one sack as a rookie last season. Greenard was encouraged by his performance against Carolina.
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“I left some plays out there,” Greenard said. “I feel like it was a good game to get my feet back under me in a game situation, fast pace, but definitely always room for improvement, but it was solid. I know I could do better. It was smooth.
“It's something that's expected of us, so to get excited or think: ‘This is something that's just so crazy that we’re seeing, I don't think it's time for that. I just think that I did what I was supposed to do, just followed the technique, followed the system it allows us to do. You follow the system, and it's going to make you make a play. I think it was solid, we just left some plays out there we would like to get back. A solid start.”
The Texans also got a sack from Whitney Mercilus, a sack and forced fumble from defensive tackle Ross Blacklock and quarterback hits from Charles Omenihu and DeMarcus Walker against the Panthers.
The Texans dropped to 1-2, but are 1-0 in AFC South games with a win over the 0-4 Jacksonville Jaguars.
“It’s no time to hit the panic button,” Greenard said. “I think we're just going to go back to the drawing board and get back on it, and you'll see the progression.”
Aaron Wilson has covered the NFL for 20 seasons, including the Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. He has previously written for The Houston Chronicle and The Baltimore Sun. He’s on Twitter: @AaronWilson_NFL and Instagram: @aaronwilson7128.