Running back Chris Perry will miss the rest of the season after the Cincinnati Bengals decided Wednesday not to activate him off the physically unable to perform list.

Perry has been sidelined since he broke his lower right leg last Nov. 26 against Cleveland. He resumed practising with the team three weeks ago, but hasn't fully recovered.

"If they needed me to play this year, I would have been more than happy to," Perry said Wednesday. "But honestly, having this time to get into game shape is a great opportunity. So I'm not really disappointed. I'm just taking it in stride and getting ready for next year.

"Honestly, I guess everybody feels this is the best decision."

Perry was the 26th overall selection in the 2004 draft out of Michigan, but has been hampered for most of his career by injuries. He missed most of his rookie season with a hamstring injury and a hernia. Perry played in 14 games in 2005, then broke his leg just above the ankle last year.

Coach Marvin Lewis said Perry isn't all the way back from the injury.

"The whole goal is you don't want to put a player out there on the field that you don't feel is going to be able to do things day-in and day-out like an NFL player," Lewis said. "Chris has worked hard. With where we are in the season, and where he is physically - he's very close - maybe if you had the luxury of doing that, you would. But you don't want to put Chris in that situation."

Perry will have to emerge from a crowd of running backs to have a role next season. The Bengals are currently using Rudi Johnson, DeDe Dorsey and Kenny Watson at the spot, and second-round draft pick Kenny Irons is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery.

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