The Bengals hit the field Tuesday for their first organized team activity (OTA) practice of the 2008 offseason.

And it featured a throwback, of sorts, to their division-winning 2005 season -- a full-sized Rudi Johnson and fleet-footed Chris Perry on the field at the same time.

Both tailbacks, key performers for the 2005 AFC North champions, are making comebacks -- Perry's more dramatic. The Bengals' first-round draft pick in 2004, Perry had not stepped foot as an active player on a football field since fracturing and dislocating his right ankle in a November 2006 game at Cleveland.

Johnson, the team's featured back who smashed his way to more than 2,900 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns in 2004 and '05, missed five games last season and finished with just 497 yards because of a hamstring injury. He had changed his diet and played, he said, at 212 pounds last season, and his running style changed, too. Johnson, a between-the-tackles bruiser, tried to dance. Now he's put on 12 to 13 pounds of muscle mass in his chest and shoulders and said he weighs now in the neighborhood of 225 pounds -- his desired playing weight.

"Last year when I got hurt, it was definitely frustrating for me," said Johnson, who has worked with strength and conditioning coaches since the end of the 2007 season. "I wanted to come back stronger, more powerful than I've ever been."

In 2005, Johnson and third-down back Perry teamed for 1,737 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns -- all of the scores from Johnson. They also had 74 receptions and two touchdowns - both from Perry. The Bengals were 11th in the league in rushing that season. Last year they dropped to 24th.

"You go through things for a reason," Perry said after practice. "It makes me more appreciative of a sport I am blessed to play as long as I can. Playing football -- that's what I do. It's what I love, being out there with the guys."

Perry made two one-handed catches out of the backfield in a seven-on-seven drill. It's a gift, he said, not something he has to practice.

Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski took note of Perry's return and even slid over to him during practice to welcome him back.

"To me, with him, it's going to tell over time how he handles the wear and tear of going every day," Bratkowski said of Perry, limited to 22 games of a possible 64 in four seasons. "He's off to a real good start today. He was a nice change of pace to Rudi. He was a very important part. He had some big plays for us. If we can get that back it's certainly going to make us a better offense."

Quarterback Carson Palmer recalled Perry's performance in the 2005 Indianapolis game -- when he had eight carries for 82 yards and 123 yards from scrimmage.

"He's another dimension, another target. He's such a threat out of the backfield," Palmer said.

The Bengals considered drafting a running back; they liked Rashard Mendenhall and Jonathan Stewart, who went to Pittsburgh and Carolina, respectively. And they entertained free agent Shaun Alexander on a visit last week. But if Johnson and Perry are healthy, they form a dynamic duo and could help head coach Marvin Lewis fulfill his wish of re-establishing the Bengals' power run game.

The Bengals are deep at tailback. In addition to Johnson and Perry, they have Kenny Watson (whose 763 rushing yards and seven touchdowns last season led the team) and DeDe Dorsey (who had an 8.7-yard average on 21 attempts). They were on the field, too, Tuesday.

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