"Cedric Benson is entrenched as the starting running back for the Bengals. The jobs to back him up, however, are wide open as the team prepares for Thursday night's preseason home opener against Carolina.

Veterans Bernard Scott, Brian Leonard and Cedric Peerman are vying for spots and roles behind Benson with rookies Jay Finley and John Griffin.

The Bengals have one last preseason game, on Sept. 1, against Indianapolis at Paul Brown Stadium before cutting the roster down to its final limit of 53 players on Sept. 3.

"It's a very good competitive situation," said running backs coach Jim Anderson.

"The next two weeks will be interesting to see how it unfolds. It's going to be fun."

Scott and Leonard were both key in their roles behind Benson in 2009 but, like the rest of the team, their 2010 seasons weren't as impactful.

Leonard missed five games due to foot, thigh and ankle injuries. Scott and Peerman have been limited by a hamstring injuries this preseason. Scott has not played in the first two preseason games while Peerman returned to play last Sunday against the Jets."