The progress of first-round pick Andre Smith suffered another setback on Tuesday when it was announced that the offensive tackle suffered a small facture in his left foot.


Smith, who missed 30 days, suffered the injury during a non-contact drill, and it was not announced until four hours after practice ended. Smith took part in line drills during the first 30 minutes, which were open to the media.

Said coach Marvin Lewis in a statement: “Our medical staff tells me the injury will not require surgery. It’s too soon to closely predict how long it will be before he can return to practice, but it looks like he’s going to miss a few weeks.”

It was Smith’s third practice since he agreed to terms on Sunday. He is under a two-week roster exemption and would not take up a spot on the 53-man roster until Sept. 14, which is the day after the opener against Denver.

The injury is believed not be as serious as the recent fractures suffered by cornerbacks David Jones and Morgan Trent. Both had surgery with the rehab time 4-6 weeks.

Jones, who injured his foot the second day of training camp, just got off crutches late last week but should be ready for the opener. But Jones and Trent are also around 140 pounds lighter than Smith, which could also make the recovery time longer.

Smith’s weight also made news earlier in the day when ESPN.com reported that his four-year, $26 million contract contains strict weight clauses. If Smith, who is listed at 335 pounds, weighs in over 350 pounds, he risks losing significant parts of his salary. It is possible that the team will monitor his weight each week during the season.

Two days before the April 25 draft, offensive line coach Paul Alexander visited Smith in Birmingham, Ala., and weighed Smith. It was after that weigh in that the Bengals decided to go with Smith as the sixth overall pick.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090901/SPT02/309010058/1066/Bengals++Smith+fractures+foot