Andre Smith (offensive Tackle)
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Andre Dewayne Smith Jr. (born January 25, 1987) is an American former professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was an
offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...
in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...
, earning
unanimous All-American The College Football All-America Team is an honorific college football all-star team compiled after each NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) season to recognize that season's most outstanding performers at their respective positions. ...
honors in 2008. He was selected by the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
in the first round of the
2009 NFL draft The 2009 NFL draft was the 74th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft c ...
with the sixth overall pick. He also played for the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
,
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
, and
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
.


Early life

Smith was born in
Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...
. He attended
Huffman High School Huffman High School (HHS) is a four-year public high school in Birmingham, Alabama. It is the largest of seven high schools in the Birmingham City School System and is a magnet school open to students from across the district. School colors are g ...
in Birmingham, where he played football and competed in track. In
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
, he was a three-year starter, a two-time All-State selection, and Class 6A Lineman of the Year in 2005. After registering 88 pancake blocks his senior season, Smith was selected "Mr. Football" by the Alabama Sports Writers Association, becoming the only offensive lineman to ever win the honor in the association's 23-year history. Smith earned High School All-American honors by ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' and was selected to play in the 2006
U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl (currently branded as the Navy All-American Bowl for sponsorship reasons) is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is p ...
. He was also one of four finalists for the 2005 Walter Payton Trophy, given to the nation's most athletic high school football player. In addition to football, Smith also participated in
track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...
at Huffman. As a senior in 2006, Smith competed in the throwing events at the State Track & Field Meet, where he registered throws of 14.81 meters (48'7.25") in the
shot put The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...
and 39.62 meters in the
discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight (object), weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is a ...
(126'8") that earned him sixth and eleventh-place finishes, respectively. Regarded as a five-star recruit by both '' Rivals.com'' and '' Scout.com'', Smith was listed as the No. 1 offensive lineman by both recruiting services. ''Rivals'' described him as "one of the most dominant offensive line prospects in the last 10 years," and—after reevaluating their 2005–'09 rankings in February 2009—considered him the best offensive tackle prospect of that period. Mike Farrell of ''
The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...
'' called Smith "the best offensive line prospect since
Orlando Pace Orlando Lamar Pace (born November 4, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the St. Louis Rams. Pace played college football fo ...
."


College career

Smith attended the
University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...
beginning in 2006. In 2006, he played for Coach
Mike Shula Mike Shula (born June 3, 1965) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the South Carolina Gamecocks. He played college football as a quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was the school's head coach from 2003 t ...
(and Coach Joe Kines). In 2007 and 2008, he played for coach
Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. ( ; born October 31, 1951) is an American sportscaster and former Professional gridiron football, professional and college football coach. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's ''College GameDay (football TV program), Colleg ...
's
Alabama Crimson Tide football The Alabama Crimson Tide football program represents the University of Alabama (variously Alabama, UA, or Bama) in the sport of American football. The Alabama Crimson Tide, Crimson Tide competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the Nat ...
teams. In his initial year at Alabama, he started all 13 games at left tackle, becoming only the fourth
true freshman The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...
offensive lineman to start for the Crimson Tide. Smith played at least 65 snaps in 10 of 13 games and played more than 70 snaps five times, while leading the Crimson Tide with 62 pancake blocks. He also scored a touchdown off of a lateral in the 34–31
Independence Bowl The Independence Bowl is a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that is played annually each December at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The Independence Bow ...
loss against
Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...
. Smith earned Freshman All-American honors by the
Football Writers Association of America The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...
. In
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
, Smith was a first-team
All-Southeastern Conference The All-SEC football team is an annual Southeastern Conference (SEC) honor bestowed on the best players in the conference following every college football season. Seasons

Following is a list of all-conference teams in the history of the SEC: ...
selection, after starting every game at the left tackle position. He was named Alabama Co-Player of the Week four times during the season. Smith was recognized as a unanimous All-American in
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, as well as the 2008
Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that g ...
winner. He was also considered to be one of the best underclassmen for the
2009 NFL draft The 2009 NFL draft was the 74th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft c ...
. He was also a first-team All-SEC selection and shared the league's
Jacobs Blocking Trophy The Jacobs Blocking Trophy is the name of several similar annual college football awards bestowed by a conference upon their best blocker. The awards are named in honor of William P. Jacobs, son of the founder and president of Presbyterian Colleg ...
with Arkansas center Jonathan Luigs. He led the team with 103 key knockdowns and added seven blocks downfield. He was penalized just twice and he allowed just one QB sack and six pressures on 334 pass plays. On December 29, 2008, Smith was suspended from playing in the
2009 Sugar Bowl The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The game was played on F ...
,—a game Alabama lost 31–17 to the
Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans in the Unite ...
—, reportedly because he dealt with an agent. A few days later, Smith declared himself eligible for the
2009 NFL draft The 2009 NFL draft was the 74th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft c ...
, and at the time he was considered a lock to be a Top 5 pick.


College awards and honors

* 2006 SEC All-Freshman First-team * 2007 AP All-SEC First-team * 2007 ''
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'' All-American * 2008
Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that g ...
* 2008 AP All-SEC First-team * 2008 AP All-American * 2008 AFCA All-American * 2008
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
All-American * 2008
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
All-American * 2008
FWAA The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...
All-American * 2008 ''
Pro Football Weekly ''Pro Football Weekly'' (sometimes shortened to ''PFW'') is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, and website that covers the National Football League (NFL). It was owned by Pro Football Weekly LLC and headquartered in Riverwoods, Illin ...
'' All-American * 2008 Rivals.com All-American * 2008 ''
Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...
'' All-American * 2008 ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' All-American * 2008
Walter Camp Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925) was an American college football player and coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage a ...
All-American


Professional career


Pre-draft

Widely believed to be the best run-blocking tackle in the
2009 NFL draft The 2009 NFL draft was the 74th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft c ...
, Smith drew comparisons to
Jason Peters Jason Raynard Peters (born January 22, 1982) is an American former professional American football, football player who was an Tackle (gridiron football position), offensive tackle. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks footbal ...
. At the 2009
NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...
, Smith weighed 332 pounds. He also looked out of shape as he ran 40 yards shirtless, clocking at a slow 5.28, and had a disappointing 19 repetitions on the bench with 225 pounds. He decided to leave the combine early in order to prepare for Alabama's Pro Day on March 11, 2009. Smith, however, did not inform his group leader at the combine before he left, and later apologized, stating: "If I had the chance to do it all over, I wouldn't have handled it the way I did. I should have told my group leader that I was leaving, and I didn't. I didn't mean to ruffle any feathers or step on any toes. I didn't mean to grandstand anyone at the combine. That was not my intention at all, and I apologize for my mistake." Smith also admitted that he wasn't prepared or in shape. His Pro Day performance at Alabama on March 11, 2009, was equally unimpressive, although his weight was down to 325 pounds. It was expected that his poor performances at the Combine and at Pro Day would strongly impact his draft positioning. Initially thought of as the best offensive tackle in the draft and a possible No. 1 pick, Smith was moved to third among offensive tackles (commonly behind Jason Smith and
Eugene Monroe Eugene Christopher Monroe (born April 18, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Selected eighth overall in the 2009 NFL draft, he spent t ...
) after the combine.


Cincinnati Bengals (first stint)


2009 season

Smith was selected in the first round with the sixth overall pick by the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
. He was the first Alabama offensive lineman selected in the first round of an NFL Draft since
Chris Samuels Chris Samuels (born July 28, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, and was recognized ...
in
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
. With run-blocking being his premier quality, Smith was projected to start at right tackle for the Bengals. However, after a 30-day contract impasse, Smith missed all of training camp and three preseason games, before eventually signing his contract on August 30, 2009. It is believed that Smith was looking for a five-year, $40 million deal, but was signed to a four-year contract with only $21 million guaranteed. The Bengals also had an option in his contract after the 2010 season to make it a six-year, $42 million agreement. Just days after ending his holdout, Smith fractured his left foot during a non-contact drill at training camp in his first week of practice after missing most of preseason. He was on roster exemption for the season opener game against the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
on September 13, then was added to the active roster the next day and returned to practice in week 7, being inactive for Games 2–10. He played in Games 11–16, and was credited with one start. He made his NFL debut on November 29 against the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
. On December 13, 2009, Smith was credited with his first official start when usual starting right tackle Dennis Roland lined up as the extra tight end in the Bengals unbalanced line. He supported three individual 100-yard rushing efforts over the season's final six games, and aided a Bengals playoff record of 169 rushing yards by running back
Cedric Benson Cedric Myron Benson (December 28, 1982 – August 17, 2019) was an American professional football player who spent eight years as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packe ...
in the wild card playoff game against the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
.


2010 season

In his second season with the Bengals, Smith claimed the starting right tackle position, playing in Weeks 6, 7, and 8, but then suffered a foot fracture (fifth metatarsal) in practice on November 10, forcing the Bengals to place him on injured reserve with a broken foot and effectively ending his season after playing in seven of the eight regular season games to that date.


2011 season

In the 2011 preseason, it was reported that Smith was working out and getting fully fit. It was also reported that in the preseason, he spoke with the Bengals starting left tackle, Andrew Whitworth, about how "it's my time to step up." The 2011 season became Smith's breakout year, and he became the starting right tackle for the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
. He started there in games 1-12 and 15–16, as well as the wild card playoff game, contributing to pass protection that ranked tied for fourth in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed (25). He was inactive for games 13-14 due to an ankle injury. In week 1 at Cleveland, he averted a giveaway by recovering an
Andy Dalton Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American professional football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "the Red Rifle", he played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs, wher ...
fumble at the Bengals eight-yard line. In week 6 against the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
, he supported a pass-protection effort that held the Colts for the first time on the season without a sack, playing primarily against All-Pro defensive end
Robert Mathis Robert Nathan Mathis (born February 26, 1981) is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 14-year career as a defensive end and linebacker with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played ...
. He aided a 165-yard rushing effort in week 16 against the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
.


2012 season

In 2012, Smith started all 16 games, including the wild card playoff game. He helped running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis rank first in the league in third-and-one rushing conversions (93.3 percent success rate, on 14 of 15) and was part of a run-blocking effort for Green-Ellis to gain at least 100 yards four times in a five-game stretch (Games 10-12 and 14), with 168.2 team average in that span. He also supported a season-best 221 rushing yards, with 6.5 average, on November 25 against the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
.


2013 season

On April 26, 2013, Smith re-signed with the Bengals. It was reported by
NFL.com The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The ...
's
Ian Rapoport Ian Rapoport (born January 9, 1980) is an American sportswriter, pundit, and television analyst who primarily covers the National Football League (NFL). Early life Rappaport was born in Boston and grew up in Chappaqua, New York. He was a colleg ...
that Smith agreed to a three-year, $18 million contract during the second round of the
2013 NFL draft The 2013 NFL draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. He started in games 1-11 and 13–16 at right tackle, and came off bench in week 12, helping the Bengals rank tied for sixth in scoring and tenth in net offense. He was a key cog in pass protection, allowing only one sack over games 11–14, tying a team record for fewest sacks allowed in a four-game span. On September 16 against the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
, he helped the offensive line allow no sacks with 407 net yards. He aided a blocking effort in week 6 at Buffalo in which the Bengals offense tallied a season-high in total net yards with 483 yards, including season-highs in both rushing (165) and passing (318). On October 27 against the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
, he contributed to pass protection allowing only one sack for two yards as
Andy Dalton Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American professional football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "the Red Rifle", he played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs, wher ...
threw for a career-best five touchdown passes. In week 14 against Indianapolis, he helped keep Dalton sack-free for the third straight game and supported a 155-yard rushing effort, and Dalton was named AFC Offensive Player of Week with a 120.5 passer rating. In the wild card playoff game on January 5, 2014, he contributed to a 439-yard offensive output against the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
.


2014 season

Smith missed all of the 2014 preseason while rehabbing from a concussion, but was able to start in the season opener game. He played and started in nine games played on the season. He was inactive for games 9–10, and was placed on Reserve/Injured list on November 25, following a triceps injury suffered in week 11. He played a key role in the Bengals pass protection for the nine games he played, helping the Bengals finish the season ranked third in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed with 23 and in least sack yardage allowed (123 yards). He was part of an offensive line that allowed no sacks in the first three weeks of the season for first time in franchise history. He was credited by coaches with the key block on
Giovani Bernard Giovani Govan Bernard (born November 22, 1991) is an American former professional football running back who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and was selected ...
’s 89-yard touchdown run, the second-longest in Bengals history, on October 12 against the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
. He helped pave the way for three one-yard touchdown runs in goal line situations in week 8 against the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
, including the game-winning touchdown by
Andy Dalton Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American professional football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "the Red Rifle", he played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs, wher ...
on a fourth-and-one situation late in the fourth quarter.


2015 season

Smith started in 14 games (Games 1-7 and 10–16) at right tackle, and also started wild card playoff game. He missed games 8-9 due to a concussion suffered on November 1 at Pittsburgh. On September 13 at Oakland, he helped lead pass protection that allowed no sacks and supported 396 yards of net offense. The following week, he contributed with a second straight sack-free game against the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
, in which the rushing offense put up 175 yards on the ground. In week 3, he provided pass protection for
Andy Dalton Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American professional football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "the Red Rifle", he played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs, wher ...
to register a career-high 383 yards on September 27 against the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
. The next week against the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
, he provided a key block for a 13-yard touchdown run by
Giovani Bernard Giovani Govan Bernard (born November 22, 1991) is an American former professional football running back who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and was selected ...
and helped allow no sacks as Bengals posted the first game in franchise history with more than 300 net passing yards (321) and four rushing touchdowns. On October 11 against the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
, he helped the offense accumulate 419 total yards and score 17 points in the fourth quarter to overcome a 24–7 deficit. In week 6 at Buffalo, he helped allow no sacks as Andy Dalton posted 118.6 passer rating, with three scores and no interceptions. He supported a season-high passer rating (146.8) for Andy Dalton on December 6 at Cleveland, with only one sack allowed. On Dec 20 at San Francisco, he supported a 115.6 passer rating for A. J. McCarron in his first NFL start.


Minnesota Vikings

On March 18, 2016, Smith signed a one-year contract with the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
worth up to $3.5 million with $500,000 guaranteed. Smith's first season with the Vikings was cut short after suffering a season-ending triceps injury in Week 4. On October 11, 2016, he was placed on injured reserve.


Cincinnati Bengals (second stint)

On March 14, 2017, Smith signed a one-year contract to return to the Bengals. He began the season as a backup after losing the starting right guard spot to
Trey Hopkins Trey Hopkins (born July 6, 1992) is an American former professional football center who played for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL) and was their starting center in Super Bowl LVI. He played college football at Texas ...
. He became the team's starting right tackle in Week 10 after losing
Jake Fisher Jake Fisher (born April 23, 1993) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals ...
to injury. He was placed on injured reserve on December 20, 2017, with a knee injury.


Arizona Cardinals

On March 16, 2018, Smith signed a two-year contract with the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
. He started eight games at right tackle, missing three with an elbow injury, before being released on November 26, 2018.


Cincinnati Bengals (third stint)

On November 29, 2018, Smith signed a one-year contract with the Bengals. He signed another one-year contract with them on July 25, 2019. He started the first five games at left tackle following an injury to Cordy Glenn. On November 30, 2019, Smith was waived by the Bengals.


Baltimore Ravens

On January 8, 2020, the Ravens signed Smith for the remainder of the 2019–20 season. On February 6, 2020, Smith signed a one-year contract extension with the Ravens. On July 28, 2020, Smith chose to opt out of the 2020 season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. On August 31, 2021, Smith was released by the Ravens and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. On September 10, 2021, Smith was released. He was released on September 10, 2021, and re-signed five days later. On September 19, 2021, Smith was re-signed to the practice squad. On October 2, 2021, Smith was promoted to the active roster. In total, Smith was elevated to the Ravens' active roster in five out of their first six games, thrice as a COVID-19 replacement and twice as a standard elevation, and was returned to the practice squad after each game. He was released on November 2, 2021.


Personal life

His younger brother, Christian Smith, formerly played
wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...
and
cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
at
Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missiona ...
. He is also a cousin of Dominic Lee, a former defensive lineman for the Alabama Crimson Tide and
Desmond Jennings Desmond Delane Jennings (born October 30, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays. Early life Jennings was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the second of three so ...
, a professional baseball outfielder.


References


External links


Alabama Crimson Tide bio

Andre Smith
at Rivals.com
2009 NFL Draft Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Andre 1987 births Living people Alabama Crimson Tide football players All-American college football players American football offensive tackles American football offensive guards Arizona Cardinals players Baltimore Ravens players Cincinnati Bengals players Minnesota Vikings players Players of American football from Birmingham, Alabama