A.J. Green injury status update, 10/17 1:14 p.m.

The Bengals are back at practice on Thursday for Week 7, and it seems unlikely we’ll see wide receiver A.J. Green this week. He told media on Thursday that he still has a little ways to go, according to Bengals reporter Tyler Dragon. Tyler Boyd and Auden Tate will continue starting in his absence. Both are solid starts this weekend against a shaky Jacksonville Jaguars defense that just traded Jalen Ramsey.

The Cincinnati Bengals were expecting wide receiver A.J. Green to get in a practice session on Wednesday of Week 7, but he was instead listed as a DNP. Green is dealing with an ankle injury and had returned to practice last week for limited sessions on Thursday and Friday. Head coach Zac Taylor said earlier in the day on Wednesday that Green would get some kind of work in, but it appears that did not happen.

Green injured ligaments in his ankle and required surgery. There had been talk of a six-to-eight week rehab window, but Green pushed back on that timeline back in September.

Green is due to hit free agency after this season, and he is currently on the roster of team with no wins nearly halfway through the season. At what point does he decide it’s better to get completely to 100 percent for free agency?

Or could this be something similar to what we have seen with new Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey? The Jaguars traded the unhappy Ramsey on Tuesday after weeks of speculation. Ramsey had missed time with a back injury, but on the Rams practice participation report, he was listed as DNP-Not injury related. So, he no longer is dealing with a back injury shortly after being traded from his former team.

Let’s be clear on one thing: I fully support Ramsey and how he handled his situation in forcing a trade. If Green is doing something similar, I fully support him doing whatever it takes to improve his situation.

That being said, the context is notably different. The big difference between Green and Ramsey is that Green had surgery on his injury while Ramsey’s injuries seemed to pop up after he made his trade request. My guess is this is fully related to his injury, but who knows how this might or might not change in the coming weeks.

For the time being, it does not appear Green will be playing this weekend against the Jaguars. His timeline for return remains uncertain, which leaves Tyler Boyd and Auden Tate as the Bengals starting wide receivers for the foreseeable future.