Strong safety Damon Moore, discarded by the Philadelphia Eagles after tearing up his knee in the 2001 NFC championship game, is returning to the league with a team that he helped to eliminate from the playoffs last year.

Moore, 25, has signed a two-year contract with the Chicago Bears, ESPN.com has learned, and the deal could be worth about $1.8 million. Moore had an interception and six tackles in the Eagles' 33-19 division-round victory at Chicago on Jan. 19.

In the past 10 days, Moore also visited with officials of the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots in addition to the Bears. All three clubs seem convinced that the former Ohio State star will be able to contribute at some point in the 2002 season, something that the Eagles did not believe.

Depending on the pace of his rehabilitation, Moore might get an opportunity in 2002 to earn a starting job in the revamped Chicago secondary. Based on his current recovery schedule, Moore should be ready to return to the field again in August or September. If there are complications, Moore could instead be placed on the NFL's physically unable to perform list, which means he would miss the first six games.

The Bears lost starting strong safety Tony Parrish to San Francisco as an unrestricted free agent and two-year veteran Mike Green is currently projected as his replacement.

Green, a former seventh-round pick from Northwestern (La.) State, has appeared in 23 games and started only two during his first two seasons, so Moore has an advantage in terms of experience.

Moore, a three-year veteran, tore the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee in the fourth quarter of the conference title game defeat at St. Louis, and subsequently underwent surgery in February to repair the damage. Convinced he would probably miss the entire 2002 season, the Eagles opted not to make him a qualifying offer, which would have permitted Philadelphia to retain his rights as a restricted free agent.

The failure to tender the qualifying offer, in essence, made Moore an unrestricted free agent and able to sign with another team.

Moore was regarded as an emerging player at the time of his injury and several teams had monitored the progress of his recovery through the offseason. "The interest from around the league was very gratifying," agent Joel Segal said.

During his Eagles tenure, Moore appeared in 48 games and started 33 of them. He moved into the starting lineup in 2000 and he proved to be solid performer against the run and a player whose coverage skills were improving.

Moore had 226 tackles, five interceptions, 11 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and five recoveries for the Eagles in three seasons. He added three interceptions in last year's playoffs, evidence of his progress in pass coverage.

Philadelphia signed veteran Blaine Bishop during the offseason to replace Moore.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.