Just days after ending his holdout, Smith fractured his left foot during a non-contact drill at training camp in his first week of practice after missing most of preseason. He was on roster exemption for the season opener game against the Denver Broncos on September 13, then was added to the active roster the next day and returned to practice in week 7, being inactive for Games 2-10. He played in Games 11–16, and was credited with one start. He made his NFL debut on November 29 against the Cleveland Browns. On December 13, 2009, Smith was credited with his first official start when usual starting right tackle Dennis Roland lined up as the extra tight end in the Bengals unbalanced line. He supported three individual 100-yard rushing efforts over the season's final six games, and aided a Bengals playoff record of 169 rushing yards by running back Cedric Benson in the wild card playoff game against the New York Jets.