Although the Arizona Cardinals defeated the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football, wide receiver AJ Green had a disappointing evening. He was on the field but didn’t play a single snap for the first time in his 12-year career as DeAndre Hopkins made his comeback from suspension.
Kliff Kingsbury essentially said it worked out that way when questioned about why Green didn’t play at all. His subsequent remarks regarding Green’s future in Arizona aren’t exactly encouraging either. By PFT:
According to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN, Kingsbury added, “We’re going to work through that.” It will be difficult for us to make the most of who we have now that we have all these pieces.
AJ Green might be the outlier. Not only is Hopkins returning, but the Cardinals also recently acquired Robbie Anderson, giving Kyler Murray yet another potent weapon. Only five games have been played by Green, who has five receptions for 56 yards.
Although there are many others who are currently more productive, he has always been one of the more dependable wideouts for this team. Green’s prospects of playing more are also going to be hampered by the fact that he is primarily restricted to the WR position and cannot truly play special teams.
Unless there are any injuries, it’s feasible that Green won’t play much again this season because Hopkins, Anderson, and Rondale Moore are likely to receive the majority of the snaps as the season progresses. It sounds like neither Kingsbury nor the coaching staff are particularly favouring him.
After being benched against the Saints, AJ Green is now facing a hard reality with the Cardinals, as previously reported by ClutchPoints.
