A.J. Green's Return From Knee Injury Yet To Be Determined

With the excitement of the commencement of Training Camps around the league also comes some emotional roller coasters because of unfortunate injuries. In just the past couple of days, we have seen the Jets, Eagles and Ravens all lose heavy contributors for the entire season. It's a harsh reality that teams and fans must face when the pads come on.

The Bengals weren't immune to a scare themselves, as they almost lost one of their best players to a freak knee injury on the first day of practice. Luckily, A.J. Green suffered what has been deemed a "knee bruise", instead of something that initially looked much more severe. He has been sitting out the subsequent days of practice, and doesn't appear to know exactly when he'll be back.

Speaking with the media on Sunday, Green talked about his return and how the knee is feeling (via Jamison Hensley of ESPN). "We don't know yet. We're not going to rush it. We have time, so we're just going to play it by ear. But it's feeling much better now."

Phew.

As for his potential return to the lineup in time for the August 8th opener against the Atlanta Falcons, Green played that close to the vest as well.

"I'm not going to test it out no time soon," Green said. "We're just going to wait it out. The swelling is down, so it's all good."

Is there a chance Green could sit out the preseason opener in Atlanta in 11 days? "I don't know," Green said. "We'll see."

Truth be told, it's a wise approach. There isn't any need to rush Green back to potentially re-tweak the knee if hasn't fully healed. As was noted by Artrell Hawkins shortly after the injury occurred, these type of things could become somewhat chronic if not dealt with correctly, much like a separated shoulder and the like.

For now, let's be thankful that this wasn't a serious issue and let Green have his rest.