Bengals WR Green hurt, is carted off first practice
Near the end of a festive afternoon commemorating the NFL’S centennial season in Dayton, Ohio, the Cincinnati Bengals watched A.J. Green get carted off the field with an injury that left the receiver distraught.
One practice into coach Zac Taylor’s inaugural season, the last-place Bengals saw their most indispensable player crumple on the field. Green ran a deep sideline pattern during a 7-on-7 drill. Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick bumped him as he knocked away the pass, and Green appeared to land awkwardly on the left foot.
He limped a few steps, crouched, limped a few more and then appeared to grab his mouth guard, flinging it to the ground. He sat down and trainers removed his left sock and examined the foot and ankle. Green was helped to the bench, which he angrily slammed with his hand. He buried his head in his arms as he was taken off the sideline on a cart for an exam.
Taylor had no information about the severity of the injury when practice ended. Kirkpatrick also was seen by a trainer.
“You don’t want to assume anything, but I think that we’ll be OK,” Taylor said, adding, “I don’t know; I shouldn’t speculate on anything.”
The practice was held at Welcome Stadium, an hour north of Cincinnati, as part of the league’s celebration of its 100th season. What’s considered the first game in NFL history was played in Dayton in 1920. A main attraction for the crowd of approximately 7,500 was watching Dalton and Green connect again.
Green had been limited in offseason workouts as the Bengals went easy with their best receiver. Less than an hour into their first practice, he was gone again.
“I hadn’t gotten a chance to see A.J. much,” Taylor said. “I saw him one day in the spring time, and he was coming back off the toe injury. He was on pace to recover and I felt like he had a good summer. Sometimes like today, freak things happen, but we’ll find out more about it a little bit later.”
GIANTS LOSE ANOTHER RECEIVER >> New York Giants wide receiver Golden Tate has been suspended for four games for using a drug prescribed for fertility planning.
The 10-year veteran, who signed with the Giants in March as a free agent, announced the suspension in a Twitter post. He said he plans to appeal the violation of the NFL’S policy on performance enhancers and that he would have no further comment.
The Giants’ receiving corps has been swamped by injuries in the first three days of training camp.
Sterling Shepard, who was supposed to take over as the No. 1 receiver with the trade of Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland, broke his left thumb in the opening practice on Thursday. It was disclosed the following day that wideout and kickoff returner Corey Coleman tore an ACL in the same workout. Rookie Darius Slayton, the fifth-round draft choice, has missed the first two workouts with a hamstring injury. Brittan Golden sustained a groin injury late Friday.
LIONS RELEASE VETERAN RUNNING BACK >> The Lions officially announced the signing of defensive lineman Mike Daniels, but the team also released running back Theo Riddick after six seasons.
Daniels wasn’t at practice yet Saturday, but he joins a defensive line that could be a real strength for Detroit. Replacing Riddick will be an interesting challenge, however. He was second on the Lions last season with 61 receptions. He also rushed for 171 yards on 40 carries.
Riddick has been a valuable pass catcher. He has 285 receptions in his career, including a careerhigh 80 in 2015. But rookie Kerryon Johnson boosted the Lions’ running game last year, and Detroit also added C.J. Anderson to the backfield this offseason. Adding to the uncertainty: The Lions have a new offensive coordinator in Darrell Bevell.
FALCONS’ RIDLEY MISSES PRACTICE >> Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley missed practice and will need longer to recover from a tweaked hamstring. Ridley, who watched the fullpads session from the side, was injured while running a route Thursday.
The Falcons will wait until Ridley, who led NFL rookie wideouts last year in yards receiving and touchdowns, shows the ability to burst with speed before they bring him back. CAM’S DAY OFF PART OF PLAN >> Panthers coach Ron Rivera says Cam Newton’s day off from practice was predetermined and there is nothing wrong with the quarterback’s right shoulder. Newton, who is recovering from arthroscopic surgery in January on his throwing shoulder, was held out of team drills on the third day of training camp.