Here are some the latest news bits from Bengals' camp:

*WATSON RELEASED - The team cut 31-year old running back Kenny Watson. The veteran has been a valuable commodity for the Bengals, but clearly age has become a factor. Free agent Brian Leonard has been moved up to the second tailback on the depth chart behind starter Cedric Benson.

*HOLDOUT CONTINUES - Still no signs of first-round pick Andre Smith. There doesn't appear to be any movement. The team did move 2008's fifth-round pick, defensive tackle Jason Shirley, to guard on the depth chart.

*TANK A STARTER - Tank Johnson has been promoted to the starting defensive tackle over second-year player Pat Sims. No surprise here, that is why they brought him here.

*FULLBACK CUT - The team waived J.D. Runnels,  a third-year NFL player. He did not see game action in 2008, but was on the Bengals practice squad for a portion of the season and was signed to the team's 2009 offseason roster on Dec. 30, 2008.

*HARDNOCKS DEBUTS - Set the DVR's and make sure you have HBO ordered - Hard Knocks premiers Wednesday, August 12th at 10:00 p.m.

NFL bengals, cincinnati bengals, kenny watson, brian leonard, andre smith, jason shirley.tank johnson, pat sims, j.d. runnels, hard knocks

In the wake of one of the team's best drafts in recent memory was a reminder of some draft mistakes of the past. The Bengals released four players from their roster on Monday, including 2004 first-round pick, running back Chris Perry.

Injuries limited him to 35 games with nine starts in five turbulent seasons with the Bengals. His career statistics include 177 rushes for 606 yards (3.4) and two touchdowns, and 83 catches for 474 yards (5.7) and two TDs.

Cincinnati traded down two times in the first round of the '04 draft and still got the "top guy on their board" at running back. The worst part is that after trading down once from No. 17 to No. 24, the team made a second deal with the Rams to go from 24th to 26th. The Rams went ahead and took running back Steven Jackson, the Bengals went with Perry. The rest is history. The cut is finally the Bengals admitting they missed on that one.

Also cut with Perry on Monday was another running back, Gary Russell, picked up on waivers 10 days ago. In the wake of the sixth-round selection of Abilene Christian's Bernard Scott, the Bengals have Scott, James Johnson, DeDe Dorsey and Kenny Watson backing up starter Cedric Benson. In addition, safety Mike Doss as well as defensive end/linebacker Eric Henderson and tight end Nate Lawrie were let go.

Meanwhile, the team's 2002 top pick, left tackle Levi Jones, also is likely on his way out.   Jones has been informed by the Bengals that they plan to trade or release the eight-year veteran, according to agent Kenneth Zuckerman.

"Nothing has happened so far, but we expect something to happen very shortly," Zuckerman told ESPN.com. "The Bengals told me it was highly likely that he would be traded or released."

The move may not happen as fast as you think though. Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson reported that, "Zuckerman admitted Monday he's getting conflicitng reports from the team after head coach Marvin Lewis appeared on NFL Network during the draft and made it sound like Jones is sticking around. Given Jones' salary for '09 is in excess of $3 million and they drafted a guy with the sixth pick in Andre Smith that is going to start at left tackle or right tackle, the question could be if the Bengals want to see how Smith responds in workouts before they do anything."

NFL bengals, chris perry, levi jones, gary russell, bernard scott, james johnson, dede dorsey, kenny watson, levi jones, andre smith, marvin lewis

The Bengals had a pretty busy off-season. One of the key moves undoubtedly was re-signing running back Cedric Benson to a two-year, $7 million contract.

A first-round pick in 2005 for the Bears, Benson ran for 747 yards on 214 carries (3.5 ypc) and 2 TD's in 12 games for the Bengals. He took over as the starter mid-season for Chris Perry and turned in three 100-yard games over the team's last eight games in '08.

Re-signing him gave the team a bit of flexbility with how they approached the position elswhere in free agency and in the upcoming draft, but it did not meet that the Bengals wouldn't still need to add some backfield depth.

Benson has some risk associated with him, but at 26 you would hope he could be a key cog in the offense for the length of the contact.

The team did find a potetnial gem on waivers this week, when they picked up Gary Russell after he was cut from the Steelers. He ran for five touchdowns in 15 games with the World Champions last year at 5-11, 215 pounds in more than capable of spelling Benson.

Perry and Kenny Watson have shown what they can do and whether the Bengals are ready to admit it or not, neither player is the answer. James Johnson is also a dark horse after a hot finish last year, but remains to be a bit of a stretch. If the Bengals are serious about improving they will write off this cast of characters and add a playmaker in the draft.

The team needs to have a more reliable back and a better pass-catching threat out of the backfield for Bob Bratkowski's offense to work efficiently and that player is not on their roster. That translates into the team adding someone else to the mix in the draft, but not out of necessity.

There are a handufl of nice prospects that could be had in Rounds 2-4, including the following players.

LeSean McCoy (Pittsburgh, 5-11, 210)
McCoy is a big play waiting to happen. He has tremendous feet and is very shifty. He has excellent quickness and can change direction with ease, often leaving defenders standing still. He combines that quickness and elusiveness with excellent long range speed, and once he hits a seam, he is off to the races.

Donald Brown (Connecticut, 5-10, 210)
Brown was the nation’s leading rusher with 2,083 rushing yards and 18 TDs.  He even ended the season with an impressive 261 yards rushing against Buffalo in the International Bowl.  He possesses great instincts, patience, and shows great techniques in multiple areas.  He is very dangerous in the open and can make big plays.

Rashad Jennings (Liberty, 6-1,230)
Jennings is an intriguing blend of size and speed. He has a great frame, carrying the necessary bulk and strength to carry the football between the tackles. He isn’t a true power back, as he has the agility to make the first defender miss and the speed to get to the corner and break off big runs. Jennings has also been very involved in the passing game with 48 career receptions.

Andre Brown (NC State, 6-foot, 224)
Brown has good size, and has the ability to carry the ball between the tackles. He shows good initial quickness, and the ability to cutback and make the first defender miss. He is at his best running between the tackles and picking up yardage after contact.

Javon Ringer (Michigan State, 5-9, 205)
Ringer has some similarities to Maurice Jones-Drew of Jacksonville, although he isn’t as gifted across the board. He is short but stocky and has excellent quickness. Some teams are going to be concerned with the workload he had in college and his lack of standout measurables, but Ringer can play.

*Bio info from FootballsFuture.com

GETSPORTSRADIO.COM: Daily Dose

NFL bengals, nfl draft, cedric benson, gary russell, chris perry, kenny watson, james johnson, lesean mccoy, donald brown, rashad jennings, andre brown, javon ringer

The Bengals sent a shockwave through their fan base on Monday when they placed their franchise tag on place kicker Shayne Graham. You can count me amongst those who supports the decision to let T.J. Houshmandzadeh walk, but what about tagging running back Cedric Benson?

Let's face it the team has plenty of holes. Their offensive line had more holes than good Swiss cheese in 2008. Their defense continues to get lit up like the skies over the Ohio River during RiverFest and the lockerroom is full of bad apples that are killing the rest of the tree.

Still, the team needs to have a running back. The Chris Perry Experiment is over. He proved that last season when he managed just 269 yards on 104 carries (2.6 ypc) and fumbled the ball at an alarming rate. Even healthy, Perry couldn't help the cause. Kenny Watson is a third-down back at best. Kenny Irons' knee is shredded.

Enter in Cedric Benson. The guy came into the league with plenty of hype and a big contract when the Bears made him their first round pick in the 2005 draft. However, after much trouble off-the-field and inconsistency on it, Chicago parted ways with their disgruntled running back.

The Bengals gave him a second chance and Benson made the most of it. He finished the season with 747 yards in just 12 game, including back-to-back 100+-yard efforts in the season's last two games.

"Without a doubt he was a savior for us," offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski said of Benson earlier this off-season. "He ran extremely hard and worked very hard to learn our system in a short amount of time."

Retaining Benson for another season via the franchise tag would have cost $6.621 million, which equates to only 5.4 percent of the team’s 2009 salary limit.

Now, he enters free agency and can be had easily by another running back starved team. If he walks, who is going to carry the rock next year for the Bengals?

I didn't want to see the team invest huge money in multi-year deal to keep Benson, but now they are going to have to. It seems like locking him in for one more year would give them a better chance to see if he can build upon that and provide them some insurance heading into the off-season free agency and college draft.

NFL bengals, cedric benson, shayne graham, tj houshmandzadeh, bob bratkowski, chris perry, kenny watson

It's becoming pretty trite, the Bengals loss on Sunday. You can count on it! For the second straight week a key play in the loss was a fumble by running back Chris Perry. He now has five fumbles on the season.

With the team adding Cedric Benson last week and the indication from head coach Marvin Lewis in Monday's press conference that the team is going to resign Kenny Watson, Perry's future as the team's starter has to be in doubt. Doesn't it?

Though I am not going let the Bengals' offensive line off the hook, Perry has been mediocre at best.  Through five games Perry has mustered 239 yards on 85 carries, scoring two touchdowns. On top of that, the former first round pick has not been a factor at all catching the ball out of the backfield (12 receptions for 45 yards). The fumbles are starting to compound the problem.

Benson, who has plenty to prove, actually looked impressive at times. The team went to him heavily in the thrid quarter and he finished his first game as a Bengal with 30 yards on 10 carries. Not terribly impressive, but he looked better than that.

It seems natural that Benson will continue to get his chances. However, Lewis doesn't appear to be losing confidence in Perry. When asked by reporters the coach put those questions aside.

"No!" he said. "Not at all. It is everyone's job to take care of the football whether it be the quarterback, running back, the returners. It doesn't matter. It's everyone's responsibility. Every play call you have is to attack the opponent." 

NFL bengals, chris perry, cedric benson, kenny watson, marvin lewis

The Bengals have activated wideout Chris Henry, making him available to return to the field in Sunday's game at Dallas. To make room for the 53-man roster the team cut veteran running back Kenny Watson, who has not been able to get on the field due to a nagging hamstring injury.

Watson has been a valuable player for the team and many are speculating that the Bengals could resign him next week, including Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. The 30-year old has been a valuable role player for six years. However,  a career-high 178 carries has taken its toll on him.

Henry is coming off an unheard of third NFL suspension and will make his '08 debut amidst controversy. The team cut him in July and despite the fact that both Marvin Lewis and Mike Brown said differently, they actually brought in back in after the legal dust settled. It was clearly Brown that made the decision, and likely against Lewis' wishes.

Word is that Henry actually showed up in shape this week and ready to play. The offense clearly needs something, but at 0-4 why sacrifice what little dignity you have left? 

How this all shakes up could a long way towards determining whether or not Lewis is the coach. For Henry, let's hope that a 13th chance will work. Maybe the fact that the other 31 teams said no thanks to him, he may now realize that this could be his last shot. One can only hope. 

NFL bengals, chris henry, kenny watson, mike brown, marvin lewis

Desperate to find a running back, the Bengals added free agent Cedric Benson to the roster on Tuesday.  The former Bear was selected with the No. 4 overall pick in 2005, but inconsistent play on the field and constant problems off it made him expendable by the Bears as they cut him earlier this summer.

The Bengals are despearte. They are 0-4 and backup running back Kenny Watson appears unable to play Sunday and DeDe Dorsey was placed on injured reserve for the second straight season. It is still amazing that the team once again ignored professionalism for potential and once again welcome baggage into the locker room.

Think about a huddle with Chad Ocho Cinco, Chris Henry, and Cedric Benson in it. You'll have some real loose cannons. The Bengals don't need a GM nearly as bad as they need a team therapist.

There weren't many options out there (and please don't tell me Shaun Alexander), so it is what it is.  They're staring at 0-5 and on their way to 3-13, and that is if Carson's elbow makes it. Why in the world do you sacrifice changing your bad image? Because your the Bengals and Mike Brown is your owner.

He played in 35 games with 12 starts for the Bears from 2005-07 while rushing for 1,593 yards on 420 carries for a 3.8 yards-per-carry average with 10 touchdowns. He also had 26 catches for 180 yards.  Expect Benson to backup starter Chris Perry on Sunday.

NFL bengals, cedric benson, chris perry, kenny watson, chad ocho cinco, dede dorsey

Bengals' wide receiver has a partially torn labrum in his shoulder, but will play through it and expects to play in Week 1 against Baltimore, according to the NFL Network's Adam Schefter reports that Chad Johnson has a partially torn labrum in his shoulder, but plans to play through it.

ESPN's John Clayton says the injury is "not too bad." Johnson is in a harness and would need season-ending surgery if the shoulder popped out again, but he considers that "unlikely." Clayton also seems to think that's unlikely. Johnson looks like a risky WR 1/2 pick now, but don't overreact. Handcuffing Johnson with Chris Henry would be a good idea.

The team already made one desperate move in re-signing the troubled Chris Henry last week and now the reportedly are shopping running back Rudi Johnson in an attempt to get a receiver. ESPN's Chris Mortensen says the Bengals are asking for a "real receiver," or someone who could help if Johnson has a setback. 

It's hard to imagine what if any value Johnson has, but the fact they are shopping them seems to indicate that his roster spot may be in jeopardy.

I am not counting on much of anything from him whether he stays on the team or not.

At least at running back Chris Perry, Kenny Watson, and DeDe Dorsey could work. However, if Chad goes down for a lengthy period the team does not have the depth, at least proven depth that can be counted on, to fill the shoes.

The bigger problem though is the offensive line. Carson Palmer was pressured all night long on Satruday night against the Saints and sacked three times.  On the third sack Palmer came up bloody with a broken nose.

I am not a big fan of preseason and don't read much into it. Still, this team's inability to pass block and open holes up front is alarming. Stacey Andrews needs to deliver on his promise, but even then the tackles are below average and the center is a joke. 

NFL bengals.carson palmer, chad johnson, rudi johnson, chris perry, kenny watson, dede dorsey, stacey andrews

The Bengals are already being hit hard by injuries, including RB Rudi Johnson's nagging hamstring.  Johnson has missed all of the preseason so far and that has opened the door for Chris Perry to take the starting job.

"Chris feels like the starting running back and he feels very good about that," head coach Marvin Lewis told the team's website. "Right now that's probably the way we'd enter the season. He's exhibiting it on the practice field, not only in the games he's played but the way he's practiced and that's good to see."

Perry has had his moments this preseason, but at the end of the day he's averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and has managed only 3 receptions (a supposed strong suit) for just three yards. Kenny Watson has been the better of the two runners, gaining just 5 yards less than Perry on 8 less carries.

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FANTASY TAKE: The Bengals' backfield has all the makings of being a fantasy headache all season long as it appears if it is going to be a three-man running back-by-committee approach by the team. Perry should be the first back taken with Johnson a close second. I would probably stay away from Rudi altogether though. Watson is nice late-round flyer in any format and could payoff bigtime if both backs in front of him go down. 

Fantasy Football, NFL bengals, chris perry, rudi johnson, kenny watson

I know that T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Rudi Johnson have yet to make an appearence, but after limited action through two preseason game the Bengals' first-team offense can be summed in one word - UNIMPRESSIVE.

Cincinnati lost 27-10 to Detroit Sunday night at Paul Brown Stadium in their second exhibition game of the year.  Quarterback Carson Palmer dealt with pressure on neary every play and looked  out of whack and slow footed. Through two preseason contests Palmer has posted a dismal 55.7 QB rating as he has completed 11 of 22 passes for just 83 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT.

"I’d be worried if we were playing Baltimore on Sunday, but we've still got some time," Palmer said, referring to the team's regular season-opener against the Ravens on Sept. 7. "T.J. is going to be ready hopefully within a couple of weeks and it's not worry time yet. We still have two preseason games left and a little time before the opener. That's not saying I don't want those guys to practice on Wednesday with us, but that's not reality. They'll be ready when they're ready and they seem like they'll be ready for the opener, so it doesn't seem like I have anything to worry about right now." 

The running game has missed Rudi, but they really miss are holes. The first-team offensive line has been worked two weeks in a row against the run and the pass. That will not change unless they shake up the depth chart, and even the then the talent and depth remains suspect. Chris Perry has had his moments this preseason, but at the end of the day he's averaged just 3.6 yards per carry and has managed only 3 receptions (a supposed strong suit) for just three yards. Kenny Watson has been the better of the two runners, gaining just 5 yards less than Perry on 8 less carries.

There is no doubt that Houshmandzadeh's return will give the passing game a lift. It was nice to see second-round pick Jerome Simpson finally show some signs of hope. He finished 5 catches for 114 yards in the loss to the Lions. 

The worst news of the night though was the sprained left shoulder suffered by Chad Johnson.  Johnson exited the locker room after the game with his left arm in a sling. He said he fell awkwardly, but received good news from team doctors.

"I'm good, I'm good, I'm good," Johnson told the Dayton Daily News. "I'll be back in a week."

Cincinnati's two rookie third-round draft picks — defensive tackle Pat Sims and wide receiver Andre Caldwell — also were lost to injury in a two-minute span.

Caldwell's foot injury was announced at the end of the third quarter and Sims, a victim of a foot injury, was wheeled off the field on a cart with 13:18 to go.

NFL bengals, carson palmer, tj houshmandzadeh, rudi johnson, kenny watson, chris perry, jerome simpson, chad johnson, pat sims, andre caldwell