Jul 18th 2008 11:46AM by Ryan Wilson (author feed)
Filed under: Bengals, AFC NorthHashmarks’ James Walker makes a seemingly insane suggestion, but one, after some thought, that wouldn’t be all that surprising: Chris Henry and the Bengals could still work.

Sure, Cincinnati released Henry this spring, after his latest in a long line of legal run-ins, but the team still needs depth at wideout. And if Marvin Lewis has taught us anything in his five years on the job, it’s that he’s willing to take a chance on guys with talent, no matter how long their rap sheet.

In any event, Walker writes: Henry and agent Marvin Frazier said there has been some preliminary interest from Cincinnati. It may or may not go beyond that point, but when talking to Henry Thursday, he seemed very sincere about the possibility of re-joining his former team.

“I wouldn’t mind it happening because I loved playing in Cincinnati,” Henry said. “I got real close with all the guys out there and I planned on being out there for a long time. I really had a good time playing ball out there in Ohio.”From a strictly competitive standpoint, I get what the Bengals might be thinking. But for all they talk about the organization steering clear of players with “character issues,” this sorta flies in the face of that PR strategy. Of course, a team full of nice guys who finish last don’t do much for Lewis’ long-term job prospects. At least Henry gives the Bengals a chance to be successful. Until his next cuffing and stuffing, anyway.