CINCINNATI — Injured Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green will start the season on the active roster as the team is hopeful he returns at some point during the first half of the season.
In a conference call on Saturday, Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said Green’s recovery from ankle surgery is currently on schedule. However, Taylor did not issue a more precise timeline of when the star receiver will play.
“He’s somebody that we gotta make a designation on right now and feel like we’re going to get him back in the first eight weeks,” Taylor told local reporters. “We’re just going to continue to carry him on the roster.”
If the Bengals decided to put him on the injured reserve list with a designation to return, Green would have to miss a minimum of eight games.
An IR stint for Green would have indicated a much longer recovery process than what was previously reported. After Green suffered a left ankle injury that required surgery, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Green would likely miss six to eight weeks. After a successful surgery, Taylor said Green will miss multiple games.
On Saturday, the rookie coach said Green’s recovery timeline is still going as planned. Taylor said the team will start mapping out a projection once the season begins.
“Right now, everything’s been on schedule, and we intend on him coming back the first half of the season,” Taylor said. Green has not spoken to the media since he the injury occurred on July 27. The ninth-year player out of Georgia is entering the final year of his contract with the Bengals.