Cincinnati Bengals: Is Andre Caldwell The Reason For Chris Henry's Slow Start?

After being suspended 14 games the previous three seasons, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry appeared to be a changed player during the team's offseason workouts.

Instead of being labeled as a player who struggles to stay out of trouble with the law, Henry seemed to have learned his lessons from his previous arrests and suspensions. He understood how privileged he was to receive the opportunity to be part of the NFL and seemed to be more focused on changing his career around as a player.

In fact, his offseason work ethic was so impressive; many analysts were predicting a breakout season for Henry this season.

The Bengals are well aware of the type of potential Henry has in 2009 and the type of numbers he is capable of recording—and his past supports it. In his second season with the team, he hauled in 36 receptions for 605 yards and nine touchdowns as the team's third option at wide receiver.

Henry's hard work during the offseason seemed to pay off during preseason as he led all Bengals receivers with 14 catches for 224 yards and three touchdowns. With these type of numbers, he appeared to be on track to that breakout season everyone expected him to have.

Unfortunately, Henry has yet to live up to the hype surrounding him in the offseason. In three games against the Broncos, Packers, and Steelers, Henry has just three catches for 42 yards and one touchdown.

When trying to make sense of the reasoning behind Henry's slow start, the only explanation that comes to mind is the number of weapons Palmer has at the wide receiver position. 

One of the reasons why the Bengals were considered a potential sleeper team in 2009 was because of their depth at wide receiver.

Between five-time Pro Bowler Chad Ochocinco, former Pro Bowler Laveranues Coles, and a potential breakout season from Henry, the Bengals had every reason to believe they would have one of the top offenses in the NFL and make a push for the playoffs this season. 

By playing alongside Ochocinco and Coles, Henry knew he would be considered the third option for Palmer to throw to. However, there was another player that Henry and the Bengals may not have expected to perform as well as he has thus far.

What they didn't expect is the quick emergence of second-year wide receiver Andre Caldwell, which may be part of the reason why Henry's numbers are down. However, this may not be the worst thing in the world for the Bengals. If anything, they should be excited for the potential of another threat for Palmer to throw to on offense.

Through the first three games, Caldwell has already surpassed most statistics from his rookie season.

He's tied with Ochocinco for most receptions (14) and caught the game-winning four-yard touchdown from Palmer with 14 seconds left to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. He is also second behind Ochocinco with seven receptions for a first down.

One of the reasons behind Caldwell's early success is the approach he took in the offseason to improve as a wide receiver. Last February, Caldwell flew out to California with Jerome Simpson to perform workouts with Palmer in hopes of filling the void left by T.J. Houshmandzadeh at the slot position.

So far, Caldwell's offseason workouts with Palmer appear to be paying off for the Bengals, who look to improve their 2-1 record against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Caldwell's impressive performance through three games may be part of the reason why Henry's numbers are down. However, it's still early enough in the season for Henry to improve his game and find a way out of this three-game slump—even if Caldwell continues to put up impressive numbers.

Think about it; if Caldwell continues to perform well throughout the season, opposing defenders may focus more on stopping him, Ochocinco, and Coles—which could work to Henry's advantage.

If opposing defenders spend more time covering other Bengals receivers, Henry may find himself open down the field more often—which could result in more receptions his way.

Henry's numbers may be disappointing so far, but the Bengals and their fans need to be patient and give him more time. The most important fact of the situation is the team is still finding ways to win games and is off to an impressive start with big wins against the Steelers and Packers.

Give it time before making a decision on whether or not Henry's offseason hype was for nothing. If his numbers are still down after a few more games, then it might be time for the Bengals and the city of Cincinnati to hit the panic button.

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