Bengals lineman out for season with knee injury

Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman D’ante Smith will miss the entire 2024 NFL season after sustaining a devastating leg injury.

Smith reportedly tore his entire patellar tendon, which will require surgery to repair. That procedure will cause the former fourth-round pick to miss this season, a big blow to both him and the Bengals ahead of the beginning of the season.

ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler reported the news on Smith and his status.

Initial belief is #Bengals OT D’Ante Smith will miss the 2024 season with a patellar tendon injury, per source. MRI results to confirm the exact nature of injury. Smith went down in Thursday’s joint practice with the #Bears on Thursday.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 16, 2024

Smith is a native of Georgia who attended East Carolina from 2016 to 2020. In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Bengals selected Smith with a fourth-round pick. Since then, he’s played on a limited basis. But it’s still difficult news to swallow.

Cincinnati figured Smith would be a depth piece behind Orlando Brown Jr. and rookie Amarius Mims on the other side. Now, though, the Bengals might have to look elsewhere with Smith gone for the entire 2024 season. Hopefully, he can make a full recovery and return to action in 2025.

Best wishes to D’ante Smith on his road to recovery.

[Jeremy Fowler]