A.J. Green wants reps, believes 'sky's the limit' for Bengals offense
CINCINNATI — Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green smiled and shook his head when he was asked about not practicing until the opener.
The 32-year-old wants as many practice reps as he can get after missing all of last season with an ankle injury.
"I don't want to shut it down," Green said bluntly. "I get comfortable out at practice. Some guys want to sit out preseason games and stuff like that. For me, I need my reps to feel comfortable."
Green walked through plays with Joe Burrow during Thursday's practice. Most of the team was focused on special teams, which allowed the seven-time Pro Bowler to get some extra work in.
"I would like him to have more reps," offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said. "I’m not too worried about what A.J. can bring to the table. We all know what he can do and how much of a difference maker he is at the position. But I do think it is really important to get some reps. He really hasn’t played a lot in this system. He’s been around, heard it and he knows it. But he has to go out and do it. To get those reps with Joe (Burrow) are valuable. I don’t think they need a ton of time together to figure it out. But I think there is some value to being able to practice and get reps and feel comfortable and ready to go come game day."
The Bengals first game is two weeks from Sunday against the Chargers at Paul Brown Stadium. Green has been impressed with his new quarterback, even though he's only practiced with him a few times.
"Joe, he's going to be great for the next 15 years," Green said. "It's just getting that rhythm. We're always talking after [practice], even before I got hurt. 'I need to put the ball there or how do you like this ball or how do you like this route.' So it's always constant communication. Joe is going to be a great one."
Burrow has had his ups and downs during training camp, but compliments like that one are common. C.J. Uzomah and Mike Daniels have both praised the 23-year-old in recent days.
This team believes in Burrow and Green is the latest player to vouch for the rookie.
"Sky's the limit," Green said. "I feel like we, as a team, have a lot of weapons. I think this is the most loaded the receiver room has been since 2015 with John (Ross), TB (Tyler Boyd), Tee (Higgins and Alex (Erickson) and all these young guys. We've got a stacked room and the backfield with Joe (Mixon) and Gio (Bernard), we've got a stacked offense. We just need everybody to stay healthy and when we get this thing moving, the sky's the limit for us."
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