CINCINNATI – The wait is over.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green is expected to make his season debut in Sunday’s Week 10 game against the Baltimore Ravens, Bengals coach Zac Taylor said Wednesday.
The seven-time Pro Bowler missed Cincinnati’s first eight games while he recovered from a left ankle injury he suffered during the first practice of the preseason. Wednesday is expected to be Green’s first official practice as a full participant.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Baltimore is preparing to face Green this week.
“He could be considered the best receiver in football, certainly right there with all of them,” Harbaugh said Wednesday during a teleconference. “He’s adding to a great group.”
Green started participating in team drills while the Bengals were off Week 9. He went back to Atlanta, where he built a house this summer, and worked with a trainer on things such as making cuts on the ankle.
“Everything felt good,” Green said after the practice on Oct. 30. “Now I’m just getting it out of my mind and understanding that it’s fine.”
The ninth-year player out of Georgia has dealt with injury problems over the last few years. Dating back to Week 12 of the 2016 season, Green has missed 21 games. He was out for seven of the final eight games last year with an injured toe on his right foot.
The eight-game absence is the longest of Green’s career. After he re-aggravated the toe injury last season, he was hesitant about returning from the ankle injury too early.
Green is also in the final year of his four-year, $60 million contract with the Bengals and is looking for a long-term deal. The receiver said negotiations between himself and Cincinnati’s front office slowed down while he was recovering from injury.
Green’s debut this season will also be the first NFL start for rookie quarterback Ryan Finley, who was named Cincinnati’s starter. The Bengals benched veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, who was drafted in 2011 along with Green and been the starter since, following the loss to the Rams on Week 8.
Since Green was selected with the fourth overall pick in 2011, he’s been one of the NFL’s most prolific receivers. He has the fourth-most receiving yards in the league during that span (8,907), which is also second in franchise history.