Y. Bell signs tender offer with Dolphins

BY JEFF DARLINGTON

jdarlington@MiamiHerald.com

The long-term deal will have to wait. But for at least this season, Dolphins safety Yeremiah Bell will stick with the team that drafted him in 2003.

Bell, a restricted free agent, signed a one-year tender offer with Miami on Monday after negotiations for a longer deal continued to stall.

However, after a promising second half to last season, equaled success this year could help spur those discussions.

''We're not close enough to continue those negotiations, but we're hoping at some point this season, we can find some middle ground and strike a compromise [on an extension],'' agent Drew Rosenhaus said.

Bell certainly has gained the Dolphins' respect after three seasons of continued progress. He actually is the only remaining player from 2003's disappointing draft class, which included eight other players no longer on the roster.

Last season, Bell broke into the first-team secondary after the fifth game. His presence -- mostly as a solid communicator -- immediately sparked the rest of the unit to better production.

Bell finished his best season with 68 tackles, two sacks and three forced fumbles.

''The Dolphins were very patient with him early in his career, and he's gotten better each year,'' Rosenhaus said. ``So he would certainly love to continue his career with the team beyond 2007. I think the feeling is mutual.''

For now, however, there was no reason to delay signing the tender offer. Because no team wanted to sacrifice the second-round pick necessary to land Bell's exclusive rights, he will earn $1.3 million, which is still respectable in proportion to his value to the team.

Quarterback Cleo Lemon is the team's only remaining restricted free agent who hasn't signed his tender offer. However, Lemon -- like Bell -- still took part in the Dolphins' offseason program by signing injury waivers to clear the team of any risks.

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