Andre Smith wants to sign so he can learn new position at right tackle

I agree with reader chazerize that Andre Smith is saying all of the right things when he says he wants to be in camp because a "holdout could hamper his transition from left tackle to right tackle." However, along with Joe Reedy, there's the reality that Smith wouldn't say anything to contradict the point.

There are a lot of things at work here. There's the fact the Bengals have developed a reputation of signing first-round draft picks late -- sometimes deep into training camp. There's the reputation that Andre Smith has already developed; not to mention the reputation of his agent. There's the thought that Smith could be looking at what Vernon Gholston got last year -- maxes out at $50 million, "at worst" valued at $32.5 million and $21 million guaranteed. If that's the case, there's a thought that the Bengals could balk at that.

Either way, even though Smith says the right things, nothing changes. We're still expecting a prolonged holdout and, at worst, Anthony Collins starts at right tackle against the Denver Broncos.