Actions speak louder than words, but sometimes, words need to be loudly as well.

For A.J. Green, he's spent most of his career letting his play do the talking, and with good reason. He currently ranks No. 6 in catches (415), No. 5 in yards (6,171) and is No. 4 in touchdowns (45) in Bengals franchise history. Last season, Green caught 86 passes for 1,297 yards and 10 scores, the fifth straight year in which he topped 1,000 yards.

Only one other wideout in NFL history had previously accomplished that feat in their first five NFL season, and that's Randy Moss. He'll be in the Hall of Fame someday, and Green will too at his current pace.

But now, in his sixth NFL season, it's time for Green to take on a more vocal leadership role with the Bengals' offense, and he knows it.

"I'm being more vocal, teaching guys," Green told ESPN's Coley Harvey. "Even between [practice] routes, I pull them to the side and tell them what we're looking for. What we need to do on this route. What's Urb [receivers coach James Urban] looking for? What's Andy [Dalton] looking for on this route, and what you've got to do? That's what I'm trying to do."

Making it more crucial that Green becomes a more vocal leader is that the Bengals' biggest leader of the past decade, Andrew Whitworth, is set to be a free agent next year.

For the most part, Whitworth and Andy Dalton have been the leaders of the offense recently, but they're going to need another voice soon. Green thinks he can become it, without changing who he is.

"Don't be that crazy, crazy, trying to change so much that I'm out of my comfort level, but being comfortable being uncomfortable is what I'm trying to be," Green said.

That shouldn't be an issue as Green already has earned the respect of his teammates. His five Pro Bowls and countless other accolades and broken records speak for themselves. If anything, he's had his platform all along to be a leader. Now, it's just a matter of stepping up and taking on this new challenge.