The Green Bay Packers have made a big addition to their offensive line, agreeing to terms on a free-agent contract with 6-foot-5, 326-pound guard/center Duke Preston, the player's agent, Craig Domann, said Thursday night.
The deal is for two years, but Domann would not reveal financial terms.
A fourth-round draft choice from the University of Illinois in 2005, Preston has appeared in 59 games with 20 starts, all with the Buffalo Bills.
In addition to playing guard and center, he has played some right tackle.
The Packers consider him a prospect at any of the three interior line positions.
"He's got a nice frame," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said earlier this week. "He's more of an athlete. We see him as an athletic frame. Once again, he's young, too. He has a lot of football in front of him."
Though Preston, 26, adds a lot of size to Green Bay's offensive line, McCarthy denied that the Packers were changing their philosophy about what kind of players they want up front. They drafted 320-pound Josh Sitton last year and were going to start him at guard until he got hurt.
McCarthy said Preston's size was impressive, but it's his athletic ability that stood out. He said that's what the Packers were looking for in their offensive linemen.
"If they are athletic, they have the ability to gain more strength and size and be more physical," McCarthy said. "I think the athletic ability up front gives us the ability to be more physical and be more multiple in our concepts we run."
