AP

With most of the big-name tackles under contract, one of the biggest of the tackles still has no deal.

Per Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Bengals and right tackle Andre Smith are “not close” on a contract.

The Bengals decided in 2011 not to pay an option bonus that would have stretched his first-round contract from four to six years. Since then, he has played better, but the concern is that, if/when he gets a big payday, he’ll go soft.

Helping the Bengals is that no other team seems to be interested. Which means that the Bengals at this point need to simply be patient. Eventually, Smith likely will take whatever the team’s best offer may be.

Smith, by the way, is the last of the unsigned unrestricted free agents in the PFT Hot 100. Which I must mention at least once per week in order to get my paycheck.