"Cedric Benson wanted to stay with the Bengals and he got his wish by signing a one-year deal to return to Cincinnati this week.

As the new Collective Bargaining Agreement allowed free agents to begin work, the 28-year-old running back practiced Thursday for the first time this training camp - with a refreshed state of mind.

"We talked a lot about coming back to Cincy and how it would be a good fit, especially having a new offensive coordinator in, and a lot of changes that happened around," said Benson. "I always wanted to come back because Cincinnati was where I was comfortable. Changes were happening and I was excited about the changes. I, like many others I'm sure, agreed that things needed to be different. When things started to change that made it even more exciting."

The biggest change for Benson was a new offensive coordinator. The Bengals fired Bob Bratkowski after 10 seasons calling plays and replaced him with Jay Gruden.

Gruden and Benson met in February prior to the lockout to discuss the running back's role should he return to the Bengals.

"Just talking about being the guy in a scheme and having the team rely on you and look for you to make things happen and carrying them. Kind of having that on your shoulders, I relish that," said Benson. "To have him reiterate that made me more inclined and excited about coming back to Cincinnati.""