Bengals' A.J. Green 'Way Ahead of Schedule' in Recovery from Ankle Surgery

Cincinnati Bengals receiver A.J. Green has declared himself "way ahead of schedule" as he continues to work his way back after undergoing ankle surgery in late July.

Green suffered a sprained ankle during training camp on July 27. He went under the knife on July 30, and the procedure was expected to sideline him for 6-8 weeks. 

Six weeks removed from the operation, Green took off his walking boot Tuesday and has not experienced any pain yet, per ESPN's Ben Baby:

On Wednesday, he spoke to reporters about his recovery, per the Cincinnati Enquirer's Tyler Dragon.

"I didn't feel anything walking, they said I could take it off. I took it off today. This is my first time actually walking around and working out without the boot on and it feels good. Really no pain, just stiff being in that boot the whole time. Just getting my range of motion back, that's the biggest thing. But really no pain."

Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com noted Green has been running on a treadmill:

Although he does not have a timetable for his return to the field, he believes he is ahead of the curve, per Dragon:

"Oh, yeah. Of course. I'm way ahead of schedule to where a normal person would be. I'm only six weeks out and I'm already walking. You never know what the next two weeks or three weeks are going to bring to where I can start back putting on shoes and actually running and doing some on the field stuff. You never know."

Without Green, Cincinnati dropped its season opener on the road in Seattle 21-20. The Bengals are now 1-7 without Green since the start of the 2018 season, while they went 5-4 in the nine games he played last year.

For Cincinnati to snap its three-year playoff drought, getting the seven-time Pro Bowler healthy and back on the field as soon as possible will be key. Getting back on the field figures to be a top priority for Green, too, as he is set to become a free agent after the season.

Green doesn't know exactly when he will be cleared to play, but he seems to have a Sept. 30 showdown against AFC North rival Pittsburgh circled on the calendar.

"That's Monday night, too. So that'd be a great game to come back," Green said, per Jay Morrison of The Athletic. "You never know what the next two weeks or three weeks are going to bring."