Joique Bell: The Second Biggest Story in Philadelphia

While the rest of Philadelphia is distracted by the Mike Vick and Kevin Kolb drama, I've decided to direct my attention to a transaction that's been lost amongst the chaos.

On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Eagles signed running back Joique Bell from the Bills practice squad to the teams active 53-man roster.

Bell lead Buffalo's running backs with 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns during preseason.

Bell was signed as an undrafted free agent to the Buffalo Bills shortly after the 2010 Draft. Shortly after preseason finished he was demoted to the practice squad. I know what everybody is thinking. This kid was undrafted, and then failed to make the Bills starting roster. How in the world could anybody be excited about this? Two simple answers.

First, there is a reason Bell went undrafted. He attended Wayne State, a Division II program. Second, the Bills are stacked at running back. C.J. Spiller, Marshawn Lynch, and Fred Jackson is a tough trio to try to out perform. It's a bit unfortunate for the Bills, because it's possible that the Eagles may have just gotten a huge steal.

NFL Scouts have always looked down on players from Division II programs. It is a common belief that the players will not be able to hold their own at a professional level. It doesn't matter that some of the best players in the leagues history came from Division II schools. Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley State), Terrell Owens (Tennessee Chattanooga), Brian Westbrook (Villanova).

However, Bell's college performance speaks for itself. In his senior season Bell received the Harlon Hill Award as the best player in Division II. He rushed for 2,084 yards and had 29 total touchdowns. During his tenure at Wayne State, Bell gained 8,055 total yards. Who holds the record? Brian Westbrook with 9,512 yards. To put it in perspective, if you eliminate the yards Westbrook had returning kickoffs, Bell would actually have surpassed him.

Now, I'm not saying that Bell is going to be better than Brian Westbrook. I'm not crazy. However, I am extremely excited to see what he brings to this team. At 5'11” and 220 lbs he has the ability to be that power running back Philadelphia fans have been wanting for years.

Mike Bell was brought in to take over that role and has not produced. It's possible Joique overtakes him at the position, and becomes Philadelphia's  No. 2  running back.

Only time will tell. Bell will be active and ready to play Sunday against Jacksonville.

Along with the addition of Bell, the Eagles have released Hank Baskett, Martell Mallett, and Chip Vaughn.