Despite showing athleticism in his early games, he failed to grasp the Bengals playbook fully, and never established himself with the team. His offensive coordinator from 2001–2002, Bob Bratkowski, said Smith "wasn't as diligent as he should have been" regarding his film and playbook study habits. During the four years he was with the Bengals, he started in only 17 games and threw just five touchdown passes next to 13 interceptions, eventually leading to his release on May 31, 2003, after riding the bench mostly during the previous two years.