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The Cincinnati Bengals have suffered a huge blow to their offense.
Star wide receiver A.J. Green was carted off from Saturday’s practice in Dayton, having thrown his mouthpiece onto the field in frustration. While initial reports had Green suffering a low ankle sprain, an MRI revealed something worse.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on Sunday that Green tore ligaments in his left ankle, and he’ll be sidelined for at least six weeks. This means he’ll probably miss Cincinnati’s Week 1 opener at the Seattle Seahawks.
An MRI revealed that Bengals’ WR A.J. Green has torn ligaments in his left ankle that is likely to sideline him six to eight weeks, source tells ESPN. Green is not expected to be ready for the regular-season opener at Seattle.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 28, 2019
Green only played in nine games last season due to a toe injury. The 30-year-old (who will turn 31 on Wednesday) is scheduled to become a free agent in the 2020 offseason.
The Bengals already lost projected starting left tackle Jonah Williams for the season due to a torn labrum, and veteran guard Clint Boling (who might have been a cut candidate anyway) retired for health reasons.
You don’t need me to tell you that the Bengals offense suffers greatly when Green isn’t on the field. Their next best receiver is Tyler Boyd, whom admittedly had a solid 2018 with 76 catches for 1,028 yards and 7 touchdowns, earning him a contract extension. Apart from him, the next notable name is John Ross III, who also had 7 touchdowns last year but just 21 catches for 210 yards for his entire career. The former Washington Huskies star seems to be dangerously trending towards that long list of “really fast guys who can’t cut it at an NFL level.”