Eagles sign tackle Demetress Bell

The Eagles, wasting little time finding their new left tackle after losing Jason Peters for the season, announced the signing of tackle Demetress Bell to a 5 year contract.  While the length of the contract seems a little long, count on the Eagles having an out clause a year or two into the deal.

Demetress Bell is the formerly spelled "Demetrius" Bell who played for the Bills for three seasons and took over as their starting left tackle when Peters signed with the Eagles.  He was one of the better available free agent linemen although he has dealt with a few injuries in his career.  With Peters out for the year, Bell will be counted on to start at left tackle right away.  Barring injuries, he should be a serviceable replacement.

Jason Peters ruptures Achilles tendon, may be lost for the season

The Eagles got some terrible news today: Pro Bowl offensive tackle Jason Peters suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon and will have surgery next week.  Peters suffered the injury while training for the upcoming season and likely won't be ready to play until late in the 2012 season, if at all.

This is a huge blow to the Eagles who now must fill a big hole on their offensive line.  They did announce the re-signing of King Dunlap today but that won't be a solution.  Look for them to draft an o-lineman in the first round and possibly look to trade for or sign another veteran left tackle in free agency.

For a team that looked set heading into the 2012 season, losing their best offensive lineman certainly throws a wrench into the Eagles plans.  What looked like a smooth, successful offseason plan now has been thrown off course.

Five Eagles named to the 2011 Pro Bowl

Barring a run to the Super Bowl, the Eagles will be well-represented at the Pro Bowl. The NFL released the Pro Bowl rosters today and five Eagles were named to the team: QB Michael Vick, WR DeSean Jackson, LT Jason Peters, CB Asante Samuel and K David Akers. Jackson was the only one of the five not named as a starter. Each of the five have been named to the Pro Bowl in previous years with Akers leading the way with 5 Pro Bowls under his belt.

Notable Eagles that were left off the Pro Bowl rosters were RB LeSean McCoy and DE Trent Cole. Should the Eagles not make the Super Bowl, expect a few more to be added on after injuries and the players from the NFC representative in the Super Bowl are removed.

Click here for full 2011 Pro Bowl Rosters.

Eagles injury update: Vick likely out, Bunkley's season may not be over

The theme for this Eagles season is injuries, so why wouldn't there be another huge injury update this week? Andy Reid held a press conference today that mostly covered the laundry list of injured players.

Michael Vick doesn't sound likely to play this week against the Falcons, given that he is still feeling sore from his rib injury and he has yet to resume throwing. Reid still refers to Vick as day to day but if he isn't even throwing yet, I don't see how he'll be ready to play this weekend. Expect another start from Kevin Kolb.

In other offensive player news, left tackle Jason Peters will also be out this week as he has surgery on a meniscus tear. This isn't a major operation so he won't be sidelined for a long stretch of time, but I wouldn't count on him back on the field for a week or two. In his place, King Dunlap gets the start at left tackle. While I'm not a huge fan of Peters and his multiple penalties per game, Dunlap still represents a big downgrade at LT.

Also recovering from injuries for the Eagles are LeSean McCoy and Todd Herremans, who are sore but will likely practice tomorrow. The Eagles offense can't afford to be without McCoy, it's MVP. Riley Cooper and Asante Samuel have been cleared to practice and should play this week.

As for other good news, it appears that Brodrick Bunkley won't miss the season as he will attempt to rehab his elbow injury rather than have surgery. That means that practice squad rookie Jeff Owens will have to remain on the practice squad despite rumors circulating that he was going to be added to the roster.

That's a whole lot of injuries. Remind me why the NFL wants to expand to an 18 game season again?