CINCINNATI (AP) -- The Bengals have released running back Chris Perry, ending an injury-plagued career in Cincinnati for the former first-round pick.
Perry was the 26th overall pick out of Michigan in 2004, when the Bengals envisioned him as their running back for the future.
Instead, he started only three games in the next four seasons, spending a lot of time recovering from various injuries.
He got the starting job last season but struggled and was replaced by Cedric Benson. His release was anticipated after the Bengals gave Benson a contract extension in the offseason.
Also on Monday, the Bengals terminated the contracts of safety Mike Doss and tight end Nate Lawrie, and waived linebacker Eric Henderson and running back Gary Russell.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Release from the Bengals:
The Bengals today made the following moves in releasing five players from the roster:
* Terminated the contracts of S Mike Doss, TE Nate Lawrie and HB Chris Perry, releasing them to free agency. Doss, a sixth-year NFL player for 2009, joined the Bengals as a free agent on Dec. 9 of last season and played in the last three games. Lawrie, a fifth-year player for ’09, played in eight games for Cincinnati last season. Perry, a sixth-year player for ’09, was the Bengals’ first-round draft choice in 2004 and battled numerous injuries while playing 35 games with nine starts from ’04 through last season. Perry’s career statistics include 606 rushing yards on 177 carries (3.4) with two TDs and 83 receptions for 474 yards (5.7) with two TDs.
* Waived DE/LB Eric Henderson and HB Gary Russell. Henderson, a third-year player for ’09, played in two games for Cincinnati last season. Russell, also a third-year pro, played the last two seasons for Pittsburgh and had been acquired by Cincinnati on waivers this past April 17.
