The Cowboys didn’t waste any time testing out their injury tent in Oxnard this year. On the first day of practice, they had the unfortunate privilege of breaking it in when safeties Donovan Wilson (strained calf) and Israel Mukuamu (hamstring) fell to injury.
Wilson, Dallas’ top free agent re-signing of the offseason, was the key playmaker in the Cowboys’ trinity of safeties. Together with Jayron Kearse and Malik Hooker, the three safeties offer the defense versatility and veteran savvy. Both he and Mukuamu are expected to miss multiple weeks. A sidelined Wilson opens the door for other safeties down the depth chart to shine in training camp. A player like Markquese Bell, perhaps.
Safety Donovan Wilson could miss 4-6 weeks with a right calf strain suffered in Wednesday’s practice, according to a source, but the belief is he will be available to play Week 1 against the New York Giants on Sept. 10.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) July 27, 2023
Bell, a prized undrafted free agent signing from Florida A&M, fits the mold of a Dan Quinn safety. Standing 6-foot-3, 205-pounds, Bell is stout enough to play run fits, and athletic enough to handle TEs and slot receivers in coverage.
If Markquese Bell can show he’s fixed his pad level issues from college, he could be a beast as a versatile box SAF for Dallas. He can cover, hit, and blitz with the best of them. #CowboysCamp #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/8CUIFoxMNi
— Reid D Hanson (@ReidDHanson) July 27, 2023
An ideal box player, Bell can blitz and play a variety of roles in high traffic areas. Pad-level inconsistency was arguably his biggest weakness entering the NFL. When he was low, he was strong against the run. When he was high, he was a non-factor.
While Bell’s game and position fit better resemble Kearse’s, the loss of Wilson and Mukuamu will provide Bell a prime opportunity to show he’s matured and developed in the system.
Bell’s development doesn’t just impact the Cowboys’ safety group, but he could influence how they handle the LB group as well. Since Bell and Kearse are both hybrids in many ways, they could overlap in roles and duties with Dallas’ LB group, allowing them to go thinner than normal at LB in 2023.
It’s safe to say everyone would prefer if Wilson and Mukuamu were healthy and playing in camp right now, but with the absence come some advantages. And those are more opportunities for players like Bell.
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