The Bengals have signed
first-round pick Andre Smith in a deal that could be as much as $42 million and
the Alabama right tackle rushed onto the field in time to stretch as practice
began.Smith, the sixth pick in the
draft, is the next-to-last draft choice to sign in the NFL, ending a 30-day
standoff that began at the Bengals' first practice on July 31 at Georgetown
College. The club didn't release terms.
At least initially, the Bengals
are going to go slowly with him.
Offensive line coach Paul
Alexander said after Sunday's practice that "he's not all of a sudden going to
be starting anytime soon." The man who coached tackles Willie Anderson and Levi
Jones and guard Eric Steinbach to productive rookie years isn't ready to make
the same claim on Smith.
"It's impossible," he said of a
crash course. "I'm not afraid to put rookies in there, but this guy is so far
behind, he's got so much work to do. ... It's going to be an intense year for
him."
Even though Smith got to the
practice field only 30 minutes after he signed, it was late enough that
Alexander couldn't work him because "he didn't know which plays we were running"
for the practice and he was more of an observer.
Smith's weight has been a
concern since the draft and while he looked big, he didn't look grossly out of
shape. But as Alexander admitted, "I do think it's going to be an issue with him
that he's going to have to take charge of."
At an ensuing news conference
head coach Marvin Lewis said he has yet to decide if Smith is going to play
Thursday night against the Colts in the preseason finale even though he barely
worked on Sunday.
As for what lies ahead for
Smith in the classroom, Alexander said, "You better get him now because he's
going to be with me."
