Cincinnati Bengals: 15 greatest wide receivers of all-time
By John Buhler
Chris Henry. 14. player. 56. . WR. (2005-09)
- 119 career receptions
- 1,826 career receiving yards
- 21 career touchdown receptions
- Career 33.2 receiving yards per game
Chris Henry was a promising receiver with the Bengals, but a tremendously troubled person. He spent his entire five-year NFL career out of West Virginia with the Bengals. Sadly, he passed away in 2009 at the age of 26 after injuries sustained falling from a moving truck during a domestic dispute.
Henry first came to the Bengals as a third-round pick in 2005. As a rookie, he had 31 catches for 422 yards and six receiving touchdowns. The Bengals would make the AFC playoffs for the first time in 15 years that season. However, Henry and quarterback Carson Palmer would sustain knee injuries in that AFC Wild Card round loss to the AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
Henry would bounce back in 2006 with what was his best season as a professional. He achieved career highs in receptions (36), receiving yards (605) and touchdown grabs (nine). Henry also had a career-best 46.5 yards per game with the 2006 Bengals, but would only catch 48.0 percent of the balls thrown to him.
Off-field issues led to Henry being suspended for the first eight games of the 2007 NFL season. He finished the year with 21 catches for 343 yards and two touchdown catches. From there, Henry’s chaotic life away from the gridiron would begin to negatively affect his play on the field.
In what were his final two NFL seasons, Henry never had more than 19 catches for 236 yards and two touchdowns in a season. He ended up with 119 career receptions for 1,826 receiving yards and 21 career touchdown receptions in his five years with the Bengals before his untimely death.
Henry’s tragic death struck the Bengals near the end of the 2009 NFL season. He would have his brain checked for CTE in his autopsy. West Virginia University found that he was the first active player with CTE in NFL history. While Henry’s life ended far too early, his body of work in limited action was solid enough to merit inclusion on this list at No. 14.