clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Auden Tate praises AJ Green’s leadership

“AJ is great. He’s like a big brother to me, so I always want him around.”

NFL: Arizona Cardinals at Cincinnati Bengals David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

The offseason is in full swing for Bengals receiver Auden Tate, who took the time to speak with SB Nation’s RJ Ochoa and Jeanna Thomas on radio row during last week’s Super Bowl festivities.

There, Tate talked about a variety of topics, one of which being what turned into a long and adversity-filled 2019 season for the Bengals. An onslaught of injuries and the growing pains of a rookie coaching staff led to the team going 2-14.

Despite this, Tate still believes in this coaching staff and the direction of this franchise.

“Yeah, it definitely was a process, but I think we got real good pieces going into next year adding the draft, another year of having the offense under our belt, and another year having the defense under their belt. So just a better understanding of everything, I think we’re going to click a lot next year.”

A big part of what will be the return of AJ Green, who missed all of 2019 with an ankle injury. Even though he never played in a game, Green was constantly around the team, something injured players don’t often do in sports, and that really stood out to Tate.

“Even when he was hurt, he was there every day. Most players of that stature, that type of player, they’ll take days off since they’re hurt. He was around the facility in a little scooter. He was still attentive and he was at meetings and practice every day still with us.”

Green is set to be a free agent, and Tate is hopeful they’ll remain teammates in the Queen City.

“AJ is great. He’s like a big brother to me, so I always want him around.”

Be sure to listen to the full interview below: