On Tuesday, the Bengals signed offensive lineman Isaac Sowells in a likely effort to give the offensive line some depth and numbers for minicamp in two weeks. Jason Shirley is unlikely to return this season after surgery to repair a torn Achilles. Jonathan Luigs had arthroscopic surgery in early April to repair soft tissue damage in his hips. And Andre Smith had surgery on his left foot; a "clean-up procedure to prevent a future break." The procedure was expected to knock Smith out of action for at least ten weeks when he had the procedure done.
So it makes sense that the Bengals add bodies to the offensive line while at least two players recover for training camp.
It's unlikely that Smith will be ready when the Bengals take the field for minicamp from June 15-17 because he's yet to be medically cleared, according to Joe Reedy. As of this posting, not including the injured or unsigned draft picks, the Bengals will have five offensive tackles, three offensive guards and two centers for minicamp work in two weeks.