When the Bengals put Chris Henry on Injured Reserve, there was some speculation on what the team could do, which largely depended on what they wanted to do at wide receiver. Do they find a replacement? Do they restock the position after Andre Caldwell? Instead, they re-signed utility offensive lineman Scott Kooistra, giving the Bengals a full 53-man roster. Kooistra is expected to earn $620,000 in 2009.
However, with Henry out for the year, the Bengals felt there was enough of a shortage at the position that they signed former seventh round draft pick Freddie Brown to the practice squad. To make room, they released rookie tackle Gerald Cadogan. Here's a listing of the team's wide receivers under contract and not on IR (like Henry and Antonio Chatman):
| Receiver | Roster | Notes |
| Chad Ochocinco | 53-Man Roster | Bengals leading receiver with 44 receptions, 639 yards receiving and five touchdowns. |
| Laveranues Coles | 53-Man Roster | Played in all eight games, caught 22 passes for 227 yards receiving. Tied for second on the team with three touchdowns receiving. |
| Andre Caldwell | 53-Man Roster | Second on the team in most receiving categories. Caught two game winning touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens (first time) and Pittsburgh Steelers. |
| Jerome Simpson | 53-Man Roster | Yet to be activated in any game this season. |
| Quan Cosby | 53-Man Roster | Primarily a punt returner. Average 12.4 yards-per-return ranks fifth in the NFL with ten punt returns or more. |
| Maurice Purify | Practice Squad | Caught four passes for 46 yards receiving during the 2009 preseason. |
| Freddie Brown | Practice Squad | Brown was the 11th pick by the Bengals in 2009 NFL draft, selected 43rd in the seventh round. |