A.J. Green won't make Bengals debut on Sunday due to injury setback
Wide receiver A.J. Green was supposed to make his 2019 debut for the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, but his health has put that on hold. Green told reporters on Thursday that due to ankle swelling he encountered on Wednesday, he wouldn’t be making his debut as planned.
Bengals WR A.J. Green said he won't play this week against the Ravens. Said he had swelling in the ankle earlier in the week and wouldn't feel comfortable playing without going through a full practice. https://t.co/CM9XnWSFJV
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) November 7, 2019
This news comes just a day after Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told the media that Green would make his debut on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. Not long after that announcement, Green was noticeably absent from the Bengals’ Wednesday practice. Now we know why.
Green, who is recovering from surgery to repair torn ligaments in his left ankle, was disappointed when he spoke to the media, but the 31-year-old is putting his health first.
"I can’t go out there when I'm not 100 percent. It makes no sense for me to put myself in that situation to where I can have another time hurting (it), just like I did my toe. It's all about make sure I'm taking care of myself first. Everything else comes after that."
Green missed several weeks last season with a foot injury, which he promptly reinjured in his first game back. He had torn ligaments in his toe and missed the final month of the season. Green hurt his ankle on the first day of training camp in 2019.
The Bengals are the last winless franchise in the NFL. With longtime QB Andy Dalton benched before the bye and new QB Ryan Finley set to make his debut against the mighty Ravens, the team definitely could have used Green on the field to try and nail down that elusive first win. But if Green isn’t 100 percent, he would only hurt the team — and himself — by trying to play before he’s ready.
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