by By Chick Ludwig Staff Writer , Dayton Daily News

That's the situation Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry finds himself in.

He's in the final year of a twoyear contract, and needs a solid season of trouble-free productivity to land another deal either here or someplace else.

"It's going to be a big year for me," Henry predicted during the club's recent minicamp. "I've been working hard. I feel like I'm at my best right now, and I'm going to do everything I can to help the team get to where we're trying to get."

Henry joins Chad Ochocinco, Laveranues Coles and Andre Caldwell as the top four wideouts in the Bengals' stable of receivers.

'Wildcat' Caldwell

Caldwell is expected to play a multifaceted role as a slot receiver, kickoff returner and "Wildcat" - a formation in which he lines up at quarterback with the option of running or throwing.

In the Bengals' 16-6 victory over Kansas City in the season finale Dec. 28, Caldwell had five catches for 34 yards and rushed four times for 49 yards. He performed well enough that he'll be utilized in the "Wildcat" more this year.

Vital weapon

As the only punter on the roster, rookie Kevin Huber hopes his strong left foot can make a difference for the Bengals in 2009.

"That's my job - to help the defense and give them a lot of field behind them so they feel more comfortable," Huber said. "I want to give our defense a chance to possibly get safeties and have the opposing team punt far back in their territory to give us better field position.

"It's just a big field-position game, and I'm trying to play a huge part in it right now."

Linebacker depth

Why is defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer smiling? His linebacker corps is showing improvement.

Left to right, the Bengals will line up with Rashad Jeanty, Dhani Jones and Keith Rivers as the starters. Brandon Johnson and rookie Rey Maualuga are the top backups.

"We've got a lot more depth now than we had," Zimmer said. "Rivers can really accelerate and run. Rashad Jeanty has been doing really good. I think Maualuga will even show up a lot more when we get to training camp because you can just tell he's a Football player and he's physical.

"Brandon Johnson played all last year, and he's a pretty smart guy. They're all pretty intelligent kids, which allows you to be on the same page and communicate."

Quote machine

"I want to have some impact. I want to make some plays and be able to feel like I'm helping the team - not just sitting back, getting a free ride." - second-year wide receiver Jerome Simpson.

Copyright 2009 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.
	Terms & Conditions     Privacy Copyright © 2009 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.