Who'll step in for Henry?

[The Entertainer]

[quote][size=3][b]Who'll step in for Henry? [/b]
Search is on for No. 3 WR [/size]

By Kevin Goheen
Post staff reporter


Assuming he's healthy, Antonio Chatman is a leading candidate to replace the suspended Chris Henry as the Bengals' No. 3 receiver. Chatman played in just three games last season after coming over from the Packers.

For all of the off-field troubles Chris Henry has had in his two years in Cincinnati, he has been a productive player on the field for the Bengals. The announcement this week that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has suspended Henry for the first eight games this season means the team must find a way to replace a player who has turned 15 of the 67 passes he's caught into touchdowns.

The current lot of candidates behind starters Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh on the roster is loaded with potential but lacks much in terms of proven ability on Sundays. The six other wide receivers behind the Bengals' standout duo have combined to catch 84 passes, 74 of which belong to Antonio Chatman.

"It hurts anytime you lose anybody," quarterback Carson Palmer said this week before Goodell's punishment had been handed out. "We count on everybody in this locker room and have expectations for everybody to be able to step in and play. When a key guy isn't able to be on the field it obviously hurts you, but we have a lot of young guys ready to play and fill his shoes."

In the last three seasons since Palmer took over as the starting quarterback, Johnson and Houshmandzadeh have combined to catch 520 passes for 7,090 yards and 45 touchdowns. Henry's emergence as the No. 3 receiver as a rookie in 2005 enhanced the Bengals' passing attack by adding another threat if defenses concentrated too much on Johnson, Houshmandzadeh or both.

The Bengals lost one experienced receiver this offseason in Kelley Washington, who signed with New England as an unrestricted free agent. Chatman is the only other receiver with any appreciable experience, having played three seasons in Green Bay prior to joining the Bengals last offseason as a free agent. Injuries gave Chatman, who broke into the league as a return specialist, the chance to play an expanded role for the Packers in 2005 and he responded with 49 receptions for 549 yards and four touchdowns.

A groin injury first suffered in training camp last season kept Chatman from experiencing the same kind of success with the Bengals. He played in just three games for the Bengals, catching three passes. He's been cleared to fully participate in team workouts this offseason.

"When I got hurt, I couldn't do anything," Chatman said. "I won't say it can't happen again, but I'm anticipating playing. I want to play bad. I'm anxious to be back because I want to play this season so bad after missing all of last year."

This will be the second consecutive year the Bengals have had to start the season without one of their key contributors because of NFL suspension. Last season it was Odell Thurman the league punished, initially for four games due to violation of the alcohol and substance abuse policy. Thurman's suspension was eventually extended to a full year after he was arrested on a DUI charge in late September.

The Bengals knew about Thurman's suspension well before it was announced in late July and compensated by moving Brian Simmons into the middle, a position he had played his first five seasons with the team. Injuries, however, hit the linebacking group hard and there was little stability at the position all season. Landon Johnson was the only player to start all 16 games. Caleb Miller and Marcus Wilkins played in all 16 games but Wilkins played mostly on special teams, while Miller was one of three players to start in the middle.

Tab Perry is the only one of the other receivers, besides Chatman, who wasn't a rookie in 2006. Reggie McNeal was the team's sixth-round draft choice last year, but he spent the season learning a new position after playing quarterback in college at Texas A&M. He was on the active roster for the final seven games of the season, but his only offensive stat was an 8-yard run that picked up a first down against Indianapolis in December.

Bennie Brazell showed potential in training camp and the preseason but spent the entire season on injured reserve with a knee injury, while Skyler Green, a smaller-sized receiver in the mold of Chatman, did not play after the Bengals claimed him on waivers from Dallas in December.

Former University of Kentucky player Glenn Holt was a pleasant surprise after signing as an undrafted rookie last spring. Holt spent the first five games on the practice squad but got his chance on the active roster because of injuries and he produced in his role on special teams. He became the team's leading kick returner, averaging 24.6 yards per return, and twice in final two games of the season he downed punts on the opponent's 1-yard line.

Losing Tab Perry to a hip injury late in a 34-17 win against Cleveland in the second week of last season was as damaging as any injury the Bengals had to play through. Perry had established himself as the top kick returner as a rookie in 2005 and was versatile enough that the coaching staff lined him in the offensive backfield as well as at receiver.

Perry had spent much of last off- season working out with Houshmandzadeh and Chatman in Los Angeles, even catching passes from Palmer as part of the quarterback's knee rehabilitation process.

He said his weight is down to 215 pounds from 230 it had risen to last year and that he should be fully available for the team's offseason workouts, including minicamps and coaching sessions set to begin next month.

Chatman and Perry are at the top of the list of players to replace Henry.

"That's the shady part of the business when you benefit from somebody else's downfall. I don't want to think about that. I know that if he's not here they'll be looking at me or other guys," said Perry. "Every year I want to get to the point of contributing more and more. Going from your rookie year to your second year they don't have as high of expectations but they expect you to know some stuff. In your third year it's either sink or swim."[/quote]



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[WhoDeeez]

"Going from your rookie year to your second year they don't have as high of expectations but they expect you to know some stuff. In your third year it's either sink or swim."

An unfortunate fact.

Honestly, I think we'll be fine. I'm anxious to see what the other guys can do in real games.

[bengalsfan850]

i think they will go with perry at 3 and chatman at four
henry's suspension means that we don't have to cut any wide recivers for half the year

[WildKat]

I think Tab, Chatman, or possibly Brazell could all come in and do a formidable job if healthy. A year or so back Chatman was the number one WR in Green Bay so I don't think he will have any problems securing the number three spot. Though I think Tab has the greatest potential to make an impact.

[WhoDeyThink]

1.tab/perry that will be found out on the field
2.Holt - size speed - need experience
3. Bennie - probly special teams guy this year