The Bengals have claimed 22-year old running back Gary Russell off waivers from the rival Pittsburgh Steelers.  Russell played in 12 games for the Steelers last season and he carried the ball 28 times for 77 yards (2.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He also caught 1 pass for -2 yards.  Russell also helped out on special teams for the Steelers last season as he returned 16 kickoffs for 371 yards (23.2 avg) and he made 9 tackles.  Russell might work his way into the backup job behind Cedric Benson as the Bengals want to have more of a power running game in 2009.  Russell has now played in 15 games in his two year NFL career and he has carried the ball 35 times for 98 yards (2.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  This was a good gamble for the Bengals.

UPDATE:  The Bengals have released Gary Russell.