With no sign of A.J. Green Monday at the first practice off the bye week, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said his best player doesn't need surgery. When it came to Sunday against the Saints in a 1 p.m.(click for tickets) Paul Brown Stadium game, Lewis was back to his taciturn self when asked if Green could play.
"We'll see," he said after practice.
A roster move during practice indicated insurance in case Green misses his first game of the season. While Green appeared to be off site getting his injured foot examined by a specialist, the Bengals promoted rookie wide receiver Auden Tate from the practice squad to the roster. The Bengals turned to Tate instead of another defensive lineman when they placed pass rushing end Carl Lawson on injured reserve with a torn ACL.
After the Oct. 28 win over the Bucs, Green said he jammed his toe on the 11-yard catch that set up Randy Bullock's last-snap field goal but said that it was OK. It appears to be a re-aggravation of the toe injury that cost him three games and all but one series of another in 2014, but it is unclear if it is that serious and how it might affect him this week.
"A.J. will continue to do what A.J. does and bust his tail to get back out there as soon as he can," Lewis said. ...
Running back Giovani Bernard appeared on the field Monday with his helmet for the first time since spraining his knee Sept. 30…
Wide receiver John Ross, troubled the last five weeks by an injured groin that cost him three of four games in October, was also on the field …
Bengals players return to the practice field to prepare for their Week 10 matchup with the New Orleans Saints following the bye week.
Rookie center Billy Price (foot) was on the field again Monday and is tracking to play his first game since Sept. 13 …
Slot corer Darqueze Dennard (shoulder) and linebacker Vontaze Burfict (hip) were on the rehab field and there was no sign of linebacker Nick Vigil (knee) or tight end Tyler Kroft (foot) …
Tight end C.J. Uzomah didn't work but he said his shoulder feels better than it did when he gutted through an early injury last week. "I could have played (this past Sunday)," he said, "but it wouldn't have been pretty." …
Left guard Clint Boling, who left the Bucs' win with back spasms, didn't work ...
Long-snapper Clark Harris, the oldest Bengal at age 34, signed up for two more years Monday through the 2020 season. If he plays all the way through the extension that gives him 184 games, sixth most in team history, just ahead of the 181 of Willie Anderson and Jim Breech …
Before practice Monday, Lawson vowed to be back for next year's opener. Lawson, a rookie sensation last year with 8.5 sacks, had just one this season but said he was having a better year when it came pressuring the quarterback. "There wasn't (the sacks)," he said. "Sometimes that's the way the cookie crumbles." … Lawson appeared with a brace on his left knee, not the knee that suffered a torn ACL his freshman year at Auburn, and said he'll use the same team of doctors headed by famed surgeon James Andrews; "It's very strong. It's my push-off leg" …
