A.J. Green Now Expected To Miss ‘Few Games’ Following Ankle Surgery

ANOTHER UPDATE: Per Rapoport, Green is now expected to miss a few games based on what was found during the wide receiver’s ankle surgery. 

Bengals HC Zac Taylor says Green will be out for “hopefully just a couple” games, per Jay Morrison of the Athletic.

UPDATE: Per Ian Rapoport, Green underwent a minor ankle procedure this morning to clean it out. The timeline for recovery remains the same, with the goal being Week 1 for a return to the field. 

According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, no one he’s talked to has ruled Bengals WR A.J. Green out for the season opener and the wide receiver will not need surgery. 

Green saw a specialist for a second opinion on torn ligaments in his left ankle, but the final outcome “has not been determined” per Rapoport.

Rapoport says the plan is to monitor the ankle for a couple of weeks to see how it heals. The initial timeline projected Green to be out six to eight weeks. 

Green injured his ankle during practice Saturday and had to be carted off the field. He was noticeably distraught following the injury, as he missed seven games with a foot injury in 2018. 

Green is entering the final year of his contract in 2019. Although his name has come up occasionally in trade rumors, he has made it clear that he wants to remain in Cincinnati. 

Green, 30, is a former first-round pick of the Bengals back in 2011. He’s entering the final year of his five-year, $70.176 million contract that included $26.75 million guaranteed and set to make a base salary $11.97 million in 2019. 

Green landed on injured reserve last season after undergoing surgery for torn ligaments in his toe.

In 2018, Green appeared nine games for the Bengals and caught 46 passes for 694 yards receiving and six touchdowns.

We’ll have more on Green as the news is available.