So finally some offensive line news. The Redskins are getting very good at holding their cards to their chest. It was only late Friday evening when it got out that former Bills offensive tackle Demetius Bell had a visit with the Washington Redskins.
Kent Somers, a Cardinals (also rumored to be interested in Bell) beat reporter first broke the news via his twitter account.
OT Demetrius Bell visited the Redskins today, said his agent. Cardinals remain interested, too.
— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) March 17, 2012
Here's a few quick notes that I've gathered on Bell.
He's an athletic, 6'5", 307lbs tackle. He will be 28 years-old in May. Back in February, ProFootballFocus ranked him as their second top free agent tackle (behind Jared Gaither), grading out with a +6.8 for the 2011 season with the Bills. Here's a little extract on what they had to say on Bell.
Playing under a restricted free agent tag in 2011, Bell looked to be putting together the classic "contract season" performance until it was curtailed by injury. To his credit, Bell didn’t slip into poor performances of the past in a three-game stint at the end of the season, but is 401 snaps of true quality enough for a team to invest in him long term? Bell was Jason Peters’ replacement after he bolted for Philadelphia, but he was slow to repay the Bills’ faith in him. He has taken large strides since his first season as a starter in 2009 drastically reducing his pressures allowed and penalties conceded through 2010 and 2011. Another big stride in 2012 would see Bell join the league’s Top 10 left tackles. If multiple teams see that as a real possibility Bell’s market value could rise when free agency opens.
Check out their full article on the top free agent tackles here.