As hard as it is to believe, Cedric Benson‘s first game of the preseason with the Green Bay Packers will take place at Paul Brown Stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals–the team Benson spent the last four seasons playing for.
The Packers recently signed Benson to boost the competition with James Starks and Alex Green in the backfield as he looks to make an impact for a rushing unit that ranked 27th overall in 2011 when it came to total rushing yards. After rushing for a combined 3,429 yards and 21 touchdowns over the last three seasons, Benson may be out for revenge against his former team on Thursday night, considering Cincinnati basically expressed zero interest in re-signing Benson this offseason.
If anything, Benson will be out to prove that he still has what it takes to an effective running back in the NFL and would have been a better option at running back than BenJarvus Green-Ellis, whom the Bengals signed this offseason after spending the first four years of his career with the New England Patriots. With all of the off-the-field issues Benson has had throughout his career, Green-Ellis seems like the better option for the Bengals as they look to build off of last year’s surprise 9-7 finish.
Green-Ellis may only have one 1,000-yard season in his career, but it’s difficult to ignore the 24 touchdowns he recorded on the ground with the Patriots. Benson certainly has the potential for another 1,000-yard season as a member of the Packers, but that may be difficult considering how much they love to throw the ball.
Based off first instincts, it’s safe to say the Bengals made the right decision.
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