Cincinnati Bengals: Is it time to prepare for no A.J. Green in 2019?

At 0-8, is there really any reason to expect Cincinnati Bengals receiver A.J. Green to need or even want to play in 2019?

In what looks like a potential setback for A.J. Green and the Cincinnati Bengals, Green missed another practice on Wednesday and is now listed as day-to-day. That makes sense in a season that could be described the same way for fans.

This news comes on the heels of what looked like an “all systems go” for Green. The best player on the Bengals roster has already missed all eight games in their 0-8 season, and as they prepare for the Baltimore Ravens, 0-9 is certainly more likely than not.

For that reason alone, perhaps it’s time to prepare for not just what was eight games without A.J., but perhaps nine, ten, or maybe all 16.

Hey, this isn’t a knock on the Bengals or Green. But in a season where the star receiver has more to lose than to gain, perhaps it’s best for all to simply shut him down for the season and evaluate the team who has already saddled Cincinnati with an 0 for 2019.

From A.J.’s point of view, looking at the prospects of a rookie quarterback in Ryan Finley taking the snaps for the balance of the season is one thing. Add an ankle that he may not want to risk further injury to, no Andy Dalton, and no signs of a new contract coming anytime soon, might lead him to ask what the incentive to play in Week 10 or any week still to come is?

If the decision to sit Dalton is any indication where the organization sees the Bengals at the halfway point of this season, that likely isn’t lost on Green. What he would bring to the balance of the last eight games is very much an unknown, but so is his long term forecast with a team who can’t seem to get much right.

Based on what’s happened so far this season, Green wanting to take a pass for the rest of this year makes all kinds of sense. In a season where little else has, maybe A.J. not playing in 2019 is the one thing that does.