The Cincinnati Bengals have placed the franchise tag on defensive end Justin Smith, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent on March 2nd. At the moment, Smith will be guaranteed $8,644,000 next season.

"This move helps us keep our core players together, and it gives us an opportunity to continue negotiating for a longer-term contract with Justin," said Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis.

Smith had 110 tackles in 2006 along with 7.5 sacks. He has been with the Bengals for six seasons and has been one of the team's actual defensive standouts. If another team makes a better offer to Smith and the Bengals do not match it, they would receive that team's first-round picks from 2007 and 2008.