Now that Shaun Alexander has been released by the Seahawks, his agent says that the Bengals will be one of the teams they check with. The question is, should the Bengals be interested?

It wasn’t that long ago that Alexander was the star of the league, setting records and looking unstoppable. Then he got injured and just never looked the same. It’s been quite a fall for him and the Bengals would have to figure out how much he has left to give.

Rudi Johnson and Chris Perry should be healthy. Kenny Watson and DeDe Dorsey played well at times and Kenny Irons was drafted last year. Irons is still recovering from a torn ACL. If all of those guys stay healthy, there are a lot of options for the Bengals to throw at opponents. But as we saw last year, injuries can quickly destroy any depth that you have.

I wouldn’t mind having Alexander on the team but only if he doesn’t cost a ton of money. If he would sign a short deal that is full of incentives, that might work out for both sides. But if the Bengals invest big money on him and he gets hurt again or just doesn’t show that he can play, that would hurt the team’s options for the future.

The Bengals did not pick a running back in the recent draft. I’ve heard some people say that must mean they are interested in Alexander but I don’t think that is definite. If the team is confidant that the running backs they already have will be healthy, they just might not want to add another player at that position.

I’m sure other teams will be interested in Alexander and there is probably a team that is willing to throw some money his way. Unless Alexander just really wants to play for his home team and takes a big paycut, it might not work out. But at the right price, I’m sure most people would welcome the addition.