We interrupt the Media Days coverage with this NFL update: Kenny Irons has been waived by the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s a tough break for Kenny, one of my favorite guys I’ve ever covered.
Irons tore his ACL as a rookie last preseason and spent the year on injured reserve. His rehab obviously hasn’t been easy: He was waived by the Bengals after failing a pre-camp physical. According to the Bengals’ press release, he had told team officials he’d had “setbacks” in his rehab due to scar tissue buildup.
If the knee won’t let Irons pass a physical, it’s hard to see how he’ll catch on with another team, though it’s possible he could sign and go straight to the physically-unable-to-perform list. Here’s hoping it works out for him. Of course, if he does go through waivers without any other team making a play for him, he could always re-sign with the Bengals, according to this story from the Cincinnati Enquirer:
If Irons were to clear waivers—meaning no other NFL team would claim his rights—the Bengals could re-sign him and place him on a reserve list, but he would not be eligible to play during the 2008 season.
Now my question to the Bengals is what are you guys smoking?
I know the NFL is a business, but you spent an early second round draft pick on him one year and cut him the next because he’s recovering from MAJOR knee surgery is taking longer than you’d like?! They cut him because he failed pre-camp physical and they needed his roster spot to meet the 80-man rooster. I’m sorry, I hope someone else on the Bengals schedule picks him up and he runs for 200 yards on them. 
So his recovery is taking a little longer than normal, but if he mends anything like his older brother David, he’ll be back with a vengeance.