A.J. Green ‘highly unlikely’ but is close
Cincinnati Bengals superstar wide receiver A.J. Green has missed the past two weeks after aggravating a toe injury, and he isn’t expected to be 100% for the rest of the season. However, the Bengals had hoped that Green would be able to suit up for today’s rivalry game against the Baltimore Ravens, as he’s made some progress. It doesn’t look like he’s made enough progress, and the best policy for the Bengals is to take it slow, even if it means that they will come into a big rivalry game with a significant disadvantage.
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Per two “Bengals sources” close to ESPN’s Bob Holtzman, A.J. Green is getting closer to a return, but it is “highly unlikely” for him to suit up today against the Ravens. This jibes with what Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported earlier today, as he reported that Green will not play today (not just that it’s “highly unlikely”) and that he is trying to return in Week 9.
That said, a Week 9 return against the Jacksonville Jaguars isn’t a guarantee, because it probably makes more sense to have him back in Week 10 against the rival Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football. Not only is that a bigger game that the Bengals need Green for more, but it buys him some extra time to rest. If he returns for the Jaguars game, then he won’t have much time to rest before facing off against the Browns.