Demetress Bell signing plugs huge hole at left tackle that was created when Jason Peters was lost for season.

The Eagles appear to have landed on their feet following the news that they had lost the services of All-Pro offensive tackle Jason Peters for at least this season and possibly longer due an Achilles heel injury suffered last week while he trained for training camp.

The Eagles signed veteran Demetress Bell to a five-year deal that reportedly is guaranteed for only the first year.

The Eagles can only hope this move saves their Super Bowl aspirations and keeps their draft stategy in place.

Said Eagles head coach Andy Reid, “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,” 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.”

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was also quoted in the statement, “Demetress is a guy we’ve followed since he joined the league. He’s a big, athletic left tackle and he has quite a few games of experience under his belt with Buffalo. He’ll excel with our style of play on the offensive line.”

A seventh round draft choice of Buffalo in 2008, Bell (6-5, 311) notched 30 starts at left tackle in his four years with the Bills, including all 16 contests in 2010. The 27-year-old Bell started six games with the Bills in 2011 as he dealt with a shoulder injury, but the team amassed a 4-2 record in those outings.

The Summerfield, LA, native originally attended Northwestern State on a basketball scholarship but after redshirting as a freshman, he decided to join the football team as a defensive end. Prior to that point, Bell had never played organized football because his high school (Summerfield) did not carry a team.

He switched to offensive tackle a year later and went on to record 22 consecutive starts in his final two seasons, earning All-America, All-Southland Conference, and All-Louisiana honors as a senior and team captain in 2007. In addition, Bell helped the basketball team to a Southland Conference East Division championship in 2006.

Bell was an all-state basketball standout at Summerfield High School, where he averaged 17.8 points and 10.2 rebounds.

Information in this article was furnished by the Eagles media relations staff.