The Philadelphia Eagles and offensive tackle Demetress Bell have agreed to terms on a five-year deal, the team announced Wednesday.
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"Demetress was one of the top free-agent offensive linemen available this year, and we are happy to be able to add him to our squad," Eagles coach Andy Reid said in a statement released by the team. "We had a chance to meet him over the weekend and study him extensively on tape, and we came away quite impressed with what we saw and heard. He's a great athlete."
Bell, who has spent all of his three-year NFL career with the Buffalo Bills, visited the Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers before deciding to play in Philadelphia.
The Eagles needed offensive line help after recently losing five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters to an Achilles injury. Peters had surgery Tuesday and could miss the entire 2012 season.
The announcement of Bell's deal came one day after a the Green Bay Press-Gazette report that Bell would meet with the Packers this week. However, on Wednesday, Bell contested the notion on his Twitter account, via ProFootballTalk.com, apparently because he was about to agree with the Eagles.
"No I'm done visiting," Bell wrote. "Where is this coming from?"
In the news release announcing the move, the Eagles said Bell's first name is properly spelled "Demetress," not "Demetrius," as it had been previously spelled.
