Sep 7th 2008 10:18AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, AFC North, NFL Injuries
The Bengals made a commitment to clean up the organization after a string of embarrassing off-field incidents (my personal favorite: Chris Henry getting arrested for brandishing a firearm in public … while wearing a Chris Henry jersey). That lasted about six months.

The team decided to re-sign Henry this summer despite all his baggage (that’s figurative baggage, Tatum Bell), and in recent weeks, veteran leaders Rudi Johnson and Willie Anderson have been released. Interesting personnel philosophy.

Truthfully, Cincinnati parted ways with Johnson because of money and health issues, but his replacement, Chris Perry, has a long history of injuries. The former 2004 first-round pick has played in just 22 games in three seasons, and started just three. But if Perry can stay on the field, he offers more versatility than Johnson, who was more of a straight-ahead runner.

And while any discussion about the Bengals usually begins and ends with Carson Palmer and Chad Javon Ochocinco, Perry could be the biggest factor in determining if this offense rebounds from a lackluster 2007 effort.Continue Reading