GEORGETOWN, Ky. -- Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver A.J. Green missed most of practice Wednesday after he injured his right leg while running a pass route.
The first-round draft pick from Georgia was injured early in practice and had a bag of ice applied to the back of the leg. He went to the locker room and returned with a wrap on his right knee.
Coach Marvin Lewis said Green was kicked near the knee, but the injury isn't considered serious. Green expects to be back for practice Thursday, although the Bengals might decide to rest him as a precaution. The Bengals play their second preseason game Sunday night in New York against the Jets.
Green has been one of the most impressive players in camp, repeatedly making acrobatic catches and diving grabs. He also came up limping during practice Tuesday, but he didn't miss much time.
Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden was concerned when he saw Green hurt again one day later.
"That's never a good sight to see anybody, especially a guy like that, looking at his knee," Gruden said.
The Bengals played rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and the rest of the starting offense for most of the first half in Detroit last Friday during a 34-3 loss, the most lopsided preseason defeat in Cincinnati's history. The Bengals' starters didn't score against the Lions' reserves during the second quarter.
Green is the centerpiece of a makeover at receiver in Cincinnati. The Bengals let Terrell Owens leave as a free agent and traded Chad Ochocinco to New England, leaving them with one of the league's least-experienced groups at receiver.
Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press