A.J. Green practices Friday; Should go vs. Jaguars; Giovani Bernard still out

The Bengals held an early-morning practice on Friday with A..J. Green able to go through it, another good sign the All-Pro receive will make his long-awaited return this week when Cincinnati hosts Jacksonville.

Green has missed the past three games while recovering from a foot injury. With him out of the lineup, the Bengals have gone 1-1-1, but when he's played, the team is 3-1 this season.

The news was not as good regarding running back Giovani Bernard, who's expected to miss the next two games while dealing with a hip issue. He was not present at Friday's practice.

Also out was starting right guard Kevin Zeitler, who's expected to be held out Sunday, paving the way for Mike Pollak to start in his place. Zeitler re-injured the same calf he injured in Week 2 against the Falcons. He could also miss Week 10 vs. Cleveland with it coming just four days after Sunday's game vs. the Jaguars.

The surprise absentee from Friday's final pre-Jags practice was defensive tackle Brandon Thompson. After getting a full session in on Wednesday and Thursday, Thompson was held out Friday. He may have suffered a setback that may cause him to miss his sixth straight game Sunday while dealing with a knee issue.

Linebackers Rey Maualuga (hamstring) and Vontaze Burfict (knee) were also out, but they were already to miss Sunday vs. the Jags, and likely next Thursday vs. the Browns.

Tight end Tyler Eifert also didn't practice, despite being eligible to after spending the past six weeks on IR-recall.