Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green followed up limited practices last week by being listed as a non-participant on Wednesday.
Green’s absence raised a few eyebrows, with some speculating that a deal could be in the works for the seven-time Pro Bowl selection prior to the NFL trade deadline on Oct. 29.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was definitive last week that Green won’t be traded away from the team with which he has spent his entire NFL career.
Taylor said that the team is not waiting for after Cincinnati’s bye (Week 9) to bring back Green, who has been sidelined since July 27 with an ankle injury. Taylor, instead, wants to evaluate the 31-year-old wideout on a day-to-day basis to make sure he is moving forward in his recovery.
Green has collected 602 receptions for 8,907 yards and 63 touchdowns in 111 games since the Bengals selected him fourth overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. He recorded season-lows in catches (46) and receiving yards (694) last season after sitting out the last seven games with a toe injury.
Also on Wednesday, cornerback Darqueze Dennard (knee) and left tackle Cordy Glenn (concussion) were cleared for the first time to participate fully in practice this season.
Dennard has been on the physically unable to perform list, while Glenn hasn’t practiced since mid-August.
The Bengals were down to their fourth option at left tackle, John Jerry, last week against the Ravens. Glenn, who started 13 games on Andy Dalton’s blind side in 2018, entered the season as the expected starter at left tackle after rookie first-round pick Jonah Williams had season-ending shoulder surgery.
Dennard will help reinforce a secondary that lost starting cornerbacks William Jackson and Dre Kirkpatrick to injury this week. Taylor said both are week-to-week and will not play Sunday vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars.
— Field Level Media