Byron Bell Agrees to 1-Year Contract with Cowboys After 2 Years with Titans

For the third time in four years, offensive tackle Byron Bell will wear a new uniform after agreeing to a contract with the Dallas Cowboys.

David Moore of the Dallas Morning News and David Helman of the Cowboys' official website reported Bell's deal with the team is for one year.

Bell spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers before signing with the Tennessee Titans before the 2015 season.

After starting all 16 games for the Titans in 2015, Bell missed all of last season due to a dislocated ankle suffered during organized team activities in May. 

While Bell wasn't able to be part of the team last season, the Titans didn't miss a beat without him. Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus graded Tennessee's offensive line as the NFL's best in 2016.

"All five starters earned impressive grades in both run-blocking and pass protection, paving the way to 2,180 rushing yards as a team, 1,777 of which came from their first two running backs, DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry," Monson wrote. "No member of the offensive line surrendered more than three sacks on the season, and while LT Taylor Lewan fell off a little as the year wore on, conceding more penalties than you would like, on the other side, rookie RT Jack Conklin earned PFF All-Pro honors."

By comparison, PFF graded the Titans offensive line in 2015 as the NFL's fourth-worst when Bell was a starter. He wasn't the only culprit of their disappointment but didn't do much to make the group better.

Bell gets a chance to rewrite his story with the Cowboys in 2017. He came out of nowhere as an undrafted free agent from New Mexico in 2011, so just making an NFL roster at that time was an uphill climb. 

Fast forward six years, Bell has started 72 games in his career and was part of two playoff teams for the Panthers in 2013 and 2014. He's got to prove himself capable of staying healthy again, but his experience makes him a solid low-cost investment for Cowboys. 

The Cowboys are in the market for more help at the tackle spot after Doug Free informed the team he was retiring at the age of 33 after playing nine seasons. 

Bell is a worthwhile low-risk investment for the Cowboys at this stage of the offseason. They know the rest of their offensive line is fantastic and can help him rebuild his value, while also searching for a long-term solution in the draft.