CINCINNATI -- A setback could derail A.J. Green's season debut.
The Bengals wide receiver did not practice on Wednesday after he said he did not feel good following a morning walk-through, coach Zac Taylor said. Minutes after Taylor said he expected Green to play in Sunday's game against the Ravens, he was not spotted at practice.
Taylor said he found out about Green's lack of availability minutes before the team started drills. The coach didn't want to speculate on the receiver's status for this weekend.
"I don't know what it does," Taylor said. "We'll just take it day by day and see where we're at tomorrow."
The seven-time Pro Bowler missed Cincinnati's first eight games while he recovered from a left ankle injury he suffered during the first practice of the preseason. After he participated in team drills during the off week, Wednesday was scheduled to be Green's first official practice as a full participant.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Baltimore is preparing to face Green this week.
"He could be considered the best receiver in football, certainly right there with all of them," Harbaugh said Wednesday during a teleconference. "He's adding to a great group."
After the Bengals wrapped up practice last week, Green went back to Atlanta, where he built a house this past summer, and worked with a trainer on things such as making cuts on the ankle.
"Everything felt good," Green said after the practice on Oct. 30. "Now I'm just getting it out of my mind and understanding that it's fine."
However, Taylor declined to address how well Green moved on the ankle at the beginning of this week.
"I think he's been making great progress," Taylor said. "I don't want to get too specific, but I think he's starting to feel really confident and we're feeling confident now that he's out there."
The ninth-year player out of Georgia has dealt with injury problems over the past few years. Dating back to Week 12 of the 2016 season, Green has missed 21 games. He was out for seven of the final eight games last year with an injured toe on his right foot.
The eight-game absence is the longest of Green's career. After he aggravated the toe injury last season, he was hesitant about returning from the ankle injury too early.
Green is also in the final year of his four-year, $60 million contract with the Bengals and is looking for a long-term deal. The receiver said negotiations between himself and Cincinnati's front office slowed down while he was recovering from injury.
Since Green was selected with the fourth overall pick in 2011, he's been one of the NFL's most prolific receivers. He has the fourth-most receiving yards in the league during that span (8,907), which is also second in franchise history.