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Bengals Lose Kenny Irons for the Season

Chris Stout |Aug 15,2007

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Bengals Lose Kenny Irons for the Season

The Bengals can't catch a break. In their first preseason game against the Detroit Lions, rookie running back Kenny Irons tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee. Irons suffered the injury when he was trying to make a juke move in the first half. Cincinnati's second round pick planted his left foot in the artificial turf of Ford Field. When he tried to shake and bake, his foot remained planted. Irons had to be carted off the field.

The Bengals had optimistic expectations for their second round pick. Having a reliable backup running back is a serious team need. Rudi Johnson is the team's unquestioned starter. He rushed for over 1,300 yards for three straight seasons. Kenny Watson, the team's third down back, has only carried the ball 51 times since joining the Bengals in 2003. If something ever happened to Johnson, it's unlikely that Watson could carry the load as the team's primary workhorse back.

Running back Chris Perry is too fragile to serve as Rudi's primary backup. Perry was drafted in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft (26th overall). The former Michigan stud suffered a hamstring strain during the final preseason game of his rookie year. When he was healthy enough to return to the field, Perry went down with an abdominal strain. He finished his rookie campaign on injured reserve. In 2005, Perry stayed surprisingly healthy and played in 14 games. Perry experienced lingering effects from offseason ankle and knee injuries, and started the 2006 season on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list. In late November, on only his tenth rushing attempt of the season, Perry broke his leg. Without question, Cincinnati needed Kenny Irons to be in the mix in 2007.

This isn't the first time that the Bengals have lost a top draft pick in the preseason. Twelve years ago, the Bengals selected Ki-Jana Carter with the first overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft. Carter suffered an ACL-tear on only the third carry of his NFL career. Coincidently, the injury happened in preseason game against the Detroit Lions.

Kenny Irons was Cincinnati's second round pick in 2007. Irons played nine games for the University of South Carolina in 2002. In 2003, Irons carried the ball only 19 times. He transferred to Auburn in 2004, and had to sit behind Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown. Irons was in and out of the starting lineup in 2005, but he finished the year as Auburn's starting running back and earned first-team All-SEC honors. Irons rushed for 941 yards and four touchdowns in 2006. He will likely compete with RB Kenny Watson for third-down duties in Cincy.

Bengals rookie running back Kenny Irons has pulled a Ki-Jana Carter.
Irons, the team's second-round pick in the 2007 draft, tore an ACL in the preseason opener against the Lions on Thursday night.

As Bengals.com points out, Carter's torn ACL came against the Lions as well, in a 1995 preseason game. Carter was the first overall selection in the draft that year.
The team hoped that Irons would perform better than 2004 first-round selection Chris Perry, whose career as the backup to Rudi Johnson has been marred by injury. Perry currently is on the PUP list.

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