Tyler Eifert, A.J. Green back at practice
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium. Bengals defeated the Ravens 34-17. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Bengals were missing two key pass-catchers from practice yesterday in superstar wide receiver A.J. Green and rookie tight end Tyler Eifert, and there were more concerns regarding Eifert’s status than Green’s. Even though losing Green would be devastating, his absence yesterday was clearly just a rest day, since he didn’t seem to suffer any injury in the Bengals win over the Baltimore Ravens last week. His status for this week’s Wild Card matchup against the San Diego Chargers was never in doubt.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Joe Reedy, Green is back at practice today, and this confirms that Green merely took a rest day on Wednesday and will be a full-go against an awful Chargers defense. Expect the elite wideout to have a monster game on Sunday, and the 98-catch receiver is going up against a team with just one good player in the secondary (Eric Weddle is excellent, but one free safety can’t cover up everything, especially against Green).
Tight end Jermaine Gresham returned to practice yesterday and is a “go” against the Chargers after missing last week’s game against the Ravens with an injury against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16, and fellow TE Tyler Eifert also missed last week’s game with an injury he suffered in Week 16.
Eifert is suffering from a shoulder “stinger”, and there were some legitimate concerns regarding his Wild Card availability after he missed yesterday’s practice, but those concerns have quickly dissipated. The Notre Dame product returned to practice today, per Reedy, and he’s going to be a “green light” against San Diego.