For the second season in a row, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green will miss multiple match-ups due to injury. In 2018, he broke his toe, which sidelined him for seven games. He bounced back in time for training camp, but the seven-time Pro Bowler wouldn’t be on the field for long. He finds himself on the Bengals Week One injury report.
What Happened to A.J. Green?
On the opening day of practice camp, Bengal cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick bumped into wide receiver Green while trying to stop a pass. The contact left Green to land the wrong way when he hit the ground. He sprained his ankle and, days later, was in the operating theater to repair the joint.
Afterward, coach Zac Taylor spoke about the star receiver’s pre-season injury, confirming what fans feared — Green would be out for multiple weeks. Of course, the team’s leader didn’t want to give such an important player a timeframe in which he had to recover. Taylor said, “I hate to put weeks on it, but we are ready for him to come back when he feels healthy and ready to go and hopefully it’s not more than a couple games.”
When Will He Come Back?
At that time, some believed that Green would make it back on the field in time for the Bengals season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on September 8. However, upon further inspection, experts pushed the wideout’s return until after that match-up. They even predicted it would be multiple weeks into the season that he’d head back onto the field.
These thoughts were all but confirmed when Green appeared in public prior to the first game of the season. The star receiver still wore a boot around his injured joint and used a scooter to make moving easier. It was crystal clear he wouldn’t be on the field anytime soon.
What Happened to the Bengals Roster?
And yet, Green’s standing still headlines all of the team’s injury reports and roster updates. In terms of the latter, the Bengals had to cut their team down to the requisite 53-man squad, and all eyes were on the wide receiver position. It made sense, considering Green’s surgical recovery, as well as injuries suffered by other guys in the position. The team ended up designating seven different wide receivers on their 2019 roster. As of now, John Ross and Tyler Boyd will fill in until Green can return to play. Ross, too, has suffered from injuries in the past — his current hamstring woes make him questionable to last all season, though.
In the end, the team made a safe bet by placing seven wide receivers on the final roster. This gives a handful of talented players the chance to hit the field. It also gives Green plenty of time to recover and return to strength sometime during the 2019-2020 season.
How’s Green Doing Now?
As previously mentioned, Coach Taylor has said that Green won’t make it onto the field in game one. He did add that the star receiver would likely see play-action within the first eight weeks of the season, though. Pundits seem to believe that Green will actually return to the Bengals sideline four weeks into the season, based on timelines from others who have suffered a similar injury.
For Green, now’s the time to rest, recharge and re-strengthen his ankle area. His training regimen might including water aerobics or other aquatic activities. These workouts and all the accouterments that go with them gently ease the body back into more strenuous exercise. No matter what he’s doing, he’s under the supervision of the Bengals staff, who all want him to return to play at his best — nothing will be rushed or decided without the proper research.
All of this could affect Green’s future with the organization, too. Although the Bengals and their star receiver had plans to extend his contract, such conversations had been halted with the injury. As he has been plagued with injuries throughout his career, the team may not want to re-sign Green. But only time will tell where he ends up — for now, our focus is on the Bengals sideline for the 2019-2020 season.
