Andre Smith

At 37 years old, Andre Smith has this physical status:

Andre Dewayne Smith Jr. (born January 25, 1987) is an American football offensive tackle who is currently an free agent.

He played college football for the University of Alabama, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American.

He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round, sixth overall, of the 2009 NFL Draft.

He has also played for the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals.

Early years

Smith was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended Huffman High School in Birmingham, where he played football and competed in track. In football, 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 and was selected to play in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. 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 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 and 39.62 meters in the discus throw (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 called Smith "the best offensive line prospect since Orlando Pace."

Personal life

His younger brother, Christian Smith, formerly played wide receiver and cornerback at Hampton University. He is also a cousin of Dominic Lee, a former defensive lineman for the Alabama Crimson Tide and Desmond Jennings, a professional baseball outfielder.

Source

College career

Smith began attending the University of Alabama in 2006. He served for coach Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2006 to 2008. He appeared in all 13 games at left tackle in his first year at Alabama, becoming only the fourth true freshman offensive lineman to play for the Crimson Tide. Smith played at least 65 snaps in ten of 13 games and five times in total, as well as leading the Crimson Tide with 62 pancake blocks. In the 34–31 Independence Bowl loss to Oklahoma State, he also scored a touchdown off of a lateral. Smith was named Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America.

Since starting every game at the left tackle position in 2007, Smith was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference pick. During the season, he was voted Alabama Co-Player of the Week four times.

Smith was named as a unanimous All-American in 2008 and a 2008 Outland Trophy champion. He was also considered to be one of the best underclassmen for the 2009 NFL Draft. He was also a first-team All-SEC pick and also shared the Jacobs Blocking Trophy with Arkansas center Jonathan Luigs. He led the team with 103 key knockdowns and seven blocks downfield. On 334 pass plays, he was suspended just twice, with just one QB sack and six pressures.

Smith was banned from participating in the 2009 Sugar Bowl, a game Alabama lost 31–17 to the Utah Utes, according to reports, because he worked with an agent. Smith declared himself eligible for the 2009 NFL Draft a few days later, and at the time he was considered a lock to be a Top-five pick.

Professional career

Smith drew comparisons to Jason Peters, who is widely regarded as the best run-blocking tackle in the 2009 NFL Draft. Smith weighed 332 pounds at the 2009 NFL Combine. He ran 40 yards shirtless, clocking at a stuttering 5.28, and had a disappointing 19 repetitions on the bench with 225 pounds.

He decided to leave the army early in order to brace for Alabama's Pro Day on March 11, 2009. Smith, on the other hand, did not warn his company leader before he departed, and later regretted it for the wrong cause. I should have told my company representative that I was leaving but 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 apologise for my mistake." Smith also admitted that he was not fully prepared or fit.

His Pro Day appearance in Alabama on March 11, 2009 was similarly disappointing, despite the fact that his weight was reduced to 325 pounds. He was predicted that his poor showings at the Combine and Pro Day would have a huge effect on his draft position. Initially thought of as the best offensive tackle in the draft and as a potential No. Smith was rated third among offensive tackles (commonly behind Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe) after the combine.

Smith was drafted sixth overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. He was the first Alabama offensive lineman selected in the first round of an NFL Draft since Chris Samuels in 2000. Smith was supposed to start at right tackle for the Bengals, with run-blocking being his highest attribute. Smith, however, skipped all of training camp and three preseason games before finally settling on August 30, 2009. Smith was apparently looking for a five-year, $40 million contract, but instead he was committed to a four-year deal with only $21 million guaranteed. Since the 2010 season, the Bengals had an option to make it a six-year, $42 million contract.

Smith fractured his left foot during a non-contact drill at training camp in his first week of practice after missing the bulk of preseason. He was on roster exemption for the season opener against the Denver Broncos on September 13, but he was recalled to the active roster the next day and returned to practice in week 7, being inactive for Games 2-10. He appeared in Games 11–16 and was credited with one start. He made his NFL debut against the Cleveland Browns on November 29, which was his first appearance in football. Smith was credited with his first official appearance on December 13, 2009, when right tackle Dennis Roland lined up as the extra tight end in the Bengals' unbalanced line. In the wild card playoff game against the New York Jets, he aided three individual 100-yard rush efforts over the season's final six games, as well as assisting the Bengals in their playoff record of 169 yards by running back Cedric Benson.

Smith appeared in Weeks 6, 7, 8, and 8, but the Bengals later developed a foot injury in practice on November 10, putting him on injured reserve and effectively ending his season after playing in seven of the eight regular season games to date.

Smith was working out and getting completely fit in the 2011 preseason. "I'm also stated that in the preseason, he spoke with Bengals starting left tackle Andrew Whitworth about how "it's my time to step up." Smith's 2011 season was his breakout year, and he was the Cincinnati Bengals' starting right tackle. He appeared in games 1-12 and 15-2016, as well as the wild card playoff game, contributing to pass defense that ranked fourth in the NFL in the fewest sacks allowed (25). Due to an ankle injury, he was unable to participate in games 13-14. He avoided a giveaway by recovering an Andy Dalton fumble at the Bengals eight-yard line in week one. He largely played against All-Pro defensive end Robert Mathis in week six against the Indianapolis Colts, supporting a pass-protection campaign that kept the Colts for the first time on the season. In week 16 against the Arizona Cardinals, he helped with a 165-yard rush attempt.

Smith played in all 16 games, including the wild card playoff game. BenJarvus Green-Ellis was rated first in the league in third-and-one conversions (93.3 percent success rate on 14 of 15) and was part of a run-blocking campaign for Green-Ellis, with a five-game average of 168.2 units in that time. On November 25, he had a season-best 221 rushing yards against the Oakland Browners, with 6.5 percent.

Smith re-signed with the Bengals on April 26, 2013. During the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, Smith agreed to a three-year, $18 million contract, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. He appeared on right tackle 1-11 and 13-16 in games 1-11 and 13-16 and came off bench in week 12, helping the Bengals finish sixth in scoring and tenth in net offense. He was a central cog in pass security, with only one fired over games 11–14, tied for the fewest sacks allowed in a four-game span. With 407 net yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 16, he helped the offensive line prevent no sacks. In week 6 at Buffalo, he aided in a blocking effort, led by the Bengals offense to a season-best in total net yards with 483 yards, including season-bests in both rush (165) and passing (318). Andy Dalton threw for a career-best five touchdown passes against the New York Jets on October 27. He contributed to pass defense, which allowed only one sack for two yards. Dalton was sack-free for the third straight game and aided a 155-yard rushing effort in week 14 against Indianapolis, and Dalton was named AFC Offensive Player of Week for his 120.5 passer rating. In a 439-yard offensive game against the San Diego Chargers on January 5, 2014, he was credited with 439 yards against them.

Smith missed all of the 2014 preseason while recovering from a concussion, but he was able to play in the season's opener. On the season, he played and started in nine games. Following a triceps injury suffered in week 11, he was inactive for games 9-10 and was placed on the Reserve/Injured list on November 25, and was put on the Reserve/Injured list on November 25, after suffering a triceps injury in week 11. He was instrumental in the Bengals' pass defense for the nine games he played, helping the Bengals finish the season in third in fewest sacks allowed (123 yards). For the first time in franchise history, he was part of an offensive line that allowed no sacks in the first three weeks of the season. On October 12, he was credited by coaches with the second-longest in Bengals history on Giovani Bernard's 89-yard touchdown run, the second-longest in Bengals history. In week 8, he helped with three one-yard touchdown runs in goal line situations, including the game-winning touchdown by Andy Dalton late in the fourth quarter.

Smith played in 14 games (Games 1-7 and 10–16) at right tackle, as well as a wild card playoff game. He missed games 8-9 due to a concussion suffered on November 1 at Pittsburgh. He helped lead pass defense in Oakland on September 13, which resulted in no sacks and 396 yards of net offense. In the rushing offense's second straight sack-free game against the San Diego Chargers, the rushing offense put up 175 yards on the ground. Andy Dalton was pass protection for him on week three against the Baltimore Ravens on September 27, who had a career-high 383 yards. As the Bengals hosted their first game in franchise history with more than 300 net passing yards (321), four rushing touchdowns, and one key block for a 13-yard touchdown run by Giovani Bernard. He helped the offense gain 419 total yards and 17 points in the fourth quarter to defeat a 24–7 deficit on October 11 against the Seattle Seahawks. He was instrumental in no sacks at Buffalo's Week 6 as Andy Dalton had an 118.6 passer rating, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Andy Dalton, who had a season-high passer rating (146.8) on December 6, was fired after just one sack was allowed. In his first NFL appearance, he supported an 115.6 passer rating for A. J. McCarron on Dec. 20 in San Francisco.

Smith signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings worth up to $3.5 million with $500,000 as a promise on March 18, 2016.

Smith's rookie season with the Vikings was cut short after suffering a season-ending triceps injury in Week 4. He was put on injured reserve on October 11, 2016.

Smith signed a one-year deal with the Bengals on March 14, 2017. After losing the starting right guard job to Trey Hopkins, he started the season as a backup. In Week 10, he was the team's starting right tackle after losing Jake Fisher due to injury. He was put on active service on December 20, 2017 due to a knee injury.

Smith agreed to a two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals on March 16, 2018. He started eight games at right tackle, with three others missing due to an elbow injury before being released on November 26, 2018.

Smith signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals on November 29, 2018.

On July 25, 2019, he signed a new one-year deal with them. Following Cordy Glenn's injury, he played at left tackle in the first five games. The Bengals waived Smith on November 30, 2019.

The Ravens agreed Smith for the remainder of the 2019-20 season on January 8, 2020.

Smith announced on February 6, 2020, that he had agreed to a one-year deal with the Ravens. Smith decided against the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic on July 28, 2020.

Smith was suspended by the Ravens on August 31, 2021, and he re-signed to the practice squad the next day. Smith was born on September 10, 2021. He was released on September 10, 2021, and re-signed five days later. Smith was re-signed to the practice squad on September 19, 2021. Smith was called to the active roster on October 2, 2021. Smith was added to the Ravens' active roster in five of their first six games, three times as a COVID-19 replacement and twice as a standard elevation, and twice as a beginner, and twice as a regular elevation, and then returned to the practice squad after each game. He was released on November 2, 2021, and was released on November 2, 2021.

Source