Tag: Markquese Bell

Cowboys UDFA safety looking to re-establish himself before free agency

Markquese Bell is a restricted free agent eager to play a bigger role for the Cowboys in 2025

Once upon a time, a hardly known undrafted free agent named Markquese Bell saved the Dallas Cowboys season. It was early 2023 and the Cowboys endured a rash of injuries to their linebacker group. Starters, back-ups, even practice squad call-ups fell to injury that season. It put Dan Quinn’s defense in quite the predicament.

Coming off two consecutive 12-win seasons, expectations were high in Dallas. The Cowboys were considered to be among the cream of the crop and couldn’t afford to fall flat at any position, especially the all-encompassing linebacker position. Quinn did what most coaches would do at that point; He stole from a position of strength.

Bell, a safety by trade, just wanted to get on the field. And since there’s considerable overlap between Quinn’s LBs and his safeties, moving Bell into the new role wasn’t that crazy of an idea. So, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound defensive back from Florida A&M made the move inside, playing 608 of his 701 defensive snaps (per PFF snap tracking) from inside the box.

Despite the slender build, Bell held up well that season. The Cowboys run-stopping issues were team wide and ongoing, but Bell did his best to fall onto on the asset side of the ledger rather than the liability side. His contributions were critical to the Cowboys’ success that season, and his presence allowed Dallas to post their third 12-win season in as many years.

Pro Football Focus graded Bell’s play as 16th among the 60 qualifying LBs (50 percent of total snaps) that year. His 83.5 coverage grade was good enough to rank fourth in the NFL in 2023. He played well, not just given the circumstances, but overall and without qualifiers.

Then 2024 came. Bell moved back to his natural position of safety and was effectively buried on the depth chart.  He played just 34 defensive snaps in 2024. He was a bit player in a forgettable season.

Now with the 2025 season approaching, the Cowboys and Bell have decisions to make. The 26-year-old is a restricted free agent and eager to hit unrestricted free agency on a high note. If free agency would have happened after his 2023 campaign, he’d probably be playing on a hefty deal somewhere right now. But coming off a lackluster 2024 season his market is trending in the wrong direction.

2025 is a big year for Bell. The man who saved the Cowboys season two years ago is determined to reclaim his game in Dallas. Can he bump one of the veteran starters who are both coming off down seasons? Can he fight off fellow reserve safety Juanyeh Thomas for snaps?

Bell is a player the Cowboys should want to re-sign this offseason. He’s a proven player with versatility and the motivation to succeed this year.

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2025 Free Agency: Cowboys have intriguing mix of legends, RFAs, ERFAs, and coaches’ faves

Dallas free agency decision begin with their RFAs, ERFAs, injured Cowboys’ greats, and coaches faves. | From @cdpiglet

There are some huge decisions for the Cowboys to make with their long list of free agents. With the number of holes on Dallas’ roster, it will be difficult for the Cowboys not to bring back every pending free agent on a restricted rights or exclusive rights contract. In addition, they’ll need to decide whether to make an effort to get back long-time contributors who ended the year on IR and a group of players who seem tied to the current coaching staff.

An exclusive rights free agent is a player with an expired contract and less than three accrued seasons in the NFL. A restricted free agent is a player with an expired contract, but only three accrued seasons in the league, keeping them from being unrestricted.

To keep a restricted free agent, Dallas has to offer him a predetermined one-year deal, known as a “tender.” If they do, the Cowboys can match any free agent deal the player signs for another team or receive draft compensation from the new team he signs with. Dallas could offer a first or second-round tender that would earn Dallas a subsequent draft choice from the team the player signed with. An original round tender would give the Cowboys a draft pick from the round he was originally drafted in, or they could offer a right to first refusal to match any offer the player agrees to.

Interior offensive lineman Brock Hoffman, safety Juanyeh Thomas, and defensive end Tyrus Wheat are all on exclusive rights contracts. Dallas only has to send a one-year qualifying offer for the league minimum based on each player’s experience level. This prevents the player from negotiating with other teams, ensuring their return.

Restricted rights free agents include pro bowl kick return specialist KaVontae Turpin, safety Markquese Bell, and much-maligned corner Andrew Booth Jr.  Dallas will need the first two back but could move on from Booth Jr., who hasn’t played well for them. Still, the roster is so thin that he could even return as a special teams player.

Meanwhile, the injured veteran front has two difficult decisions to make.

Demarcus Lawrence was still playing at a high level but is aging and coming off of another injury, but has already confirmed he plans to play next season. The team is already returning edge rushers Micah Parsons, Marshawn Kneeland, and Sam Williams, who will be returning from a serious injury himself.

Dallas will have a dead-money hit of nearly $7.5 million for Lawrence next season, so having him back on the roster would help justify the use of cap space, but he could get a final big payday elsewhere from a contender.

Guard Zack Martin will likely decide his own fate. If he wants to return for another season, the Cowboys are likely to bring him back. He has $27.7 million in dead money cap charges that can land across either one or two years.

Martin and Lawrence joined the franchise together and are now completing their 11th seasons with the club. With the club letting Tyron Smith go last season, it will be interesting to see what happens with the last remnants of the Tony Romo era.

Then there are these free agent signings who are a more simple concept.

Eric Kendricks signed in Dallas because of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. If Zimmer returns, so could Kendricks and Nick Virgil.

The specialists could go elsewhere if John Fassel doesn’t return as the unit coach. Punter Bryan Anger, long-snapper Trent Sieg, and gunner C.J. Goodwin could all need to be replaced this offseason.

Cooper Rush, Trey Lance, or even Will Grier as the backup to Dak Prescott likely depends on if Mike McCarthy returns as the head coach.

Coaching ties matter. When Dan Quinn left to coach the Commanders, he took with him multiple players who played for him in Dallas. The new coaches might have the players they want to bring in to teach their system to the rest of the players.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or Bluesky @mike-crum-cdpiglet.bsky.social

Report: Highly-praised Cowboys safety out for season; may require surgery after gruesome injury

From @ToddBrock24f7: Special teams coordinator raved about Markquese Bell, whose reported shoulder dislocation will cost him the rest of the 2024 season.

The annual war of attrition has claimed yet another Cowboy, with one member of the coaching staff offering an all-too-rare reminder this week of the human side to the sport and the very personal cost to the men who make it their life’s work.

Safety Markquese Bell will miss the remainder of the 2024 season, it was announced Wednesday. That decision comes after the third-year man out of Florida A&M suffered a dislocated shoulder while making a tackle in Monday night’s game with the Texans.

Per Todd Archer of ESPN, multiple sources report that the injury may require surgery. It looked quite serious in the moment, and Bell needed considerable help getting off the field after it happened in the second quarter of the 34-10 loss.

After a second season that saw him get converted to linebacker under Dan Quinn, Bell had seen fairly limited action back at safety with Mike Zimmer’s defense in 2024. He had played just 34 defensive snaps, but Bell had become a real standout among special teams players.

Special teams coordinator John Fassel visibly choked up talking about Bell this week during his weekly press conference.

“That one hurts,” Fassel said when asked about the loss of the 25-year-old.

“He’s played as good [on] special teams through 10 games as I can remember,” Fassel told reporters Tuesday. “He got hurt doing what he does best, just flying in there, diving. He’s going to be okay, but man. Just, gosh. I’ve just spent so much time with these guys in meetings and the practice field and the game field. And the emotions of [going] undrafted to wanting a little bit more and accepting his role and thriving in his role… damn. I’m hurting for him, because he was on a mission. He was as good as we’ve had in a while.”

A reflective Fassel went on to talk about the relationship he’s developed with so many of his players, world-class athletes who typically don’t get the credit they deserve for sacrificing themselves over and over on seemingly routine plays that often fly well under the average fan’s radar.

“These young men are very human. Gosh, and they want so much out of their career. And I want it for them,” Fassel explained. “They’re special humans, and what they do on a daily basis is very unique.”

But injuries come part and parcel with the sport for everyone who plays it, and now the Cowboys must find a way to replace Bell on the field for the final seven games of the schedule.

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Just like Bell went back to work the morning after getting hurt, to take the first steps down his road to recovery. Fassel talked about seeing Bell in the trainers’ room just that morning and was already looking ahead to seeing him back on a football field.

Fassel hinted, though, that both men know that both being back in the star when that happens is not guaranteed.

“He had the whole thing slinged up, and he was emotional, too, because he knew what he was producing. Maybe not everybody else does, but he was producing as good as it’s been. Hopefully he’ll heal up and be back better than ever. I’m sure he will, because he’s a tough-ass kid. He is an outstanding football player. He’s got some great stuff in his future.”

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Cowboys need to give these 2 backups more snaps or risk peril in secondary

It’s time the Cowboys give Donovan Wilson a rest and Juanyeh Thomas and Markquese Bell a chance. | From @ReidDHanson

The Cowboys have made it four games into their 2024 campaign and it is already clear certain adjustments are in order. The struggles of the defense combined with recent injuries to key personnel necessitate the urgency of change. Covering the injury losses of Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence are not easy changes with simple solutions. Altering roles and workloads in the secondary are a different story.

The Cowboys run defense rightfully garners most of the scrutiny in Dallas this season, but the secondary deserves its fair share of constructive criticism as well. Not only does the secondary play a key role in gap assignments in run support, but it’s also responsible for coverage downfield and open field playmaking. Injuries have spread the cornerback room thin, but the Cowboys safety corps remains intact and as deep as any position on the roster.

When reviewing the Cowboys struggles through the first portion of the season it’s almost impossible not to notice Donovan Wilson. Wilson, Dallas’ primary in-the-box safety has struggled immensely in 2024. His gap discipline has been lacking and instincts haven’t been doing his propensity to freelance any favors.

Wilson has always been a feast or famine player. He’s been known to disappear for extended periods of time only to explode on the scene for a monumental play out of the blue. Unfortunately, in 2024 it’s been mostly famine for Wilson, and at a time when the Dallas defense is struggling in discipline and understanding, it might be time to put the veteran safety on ice for a while.

Reserve safeties Juanyeh Thomas and Markquese Bell are seen by many as starting quality players stuck in backup roles in Dallas. Thomas has flashed the ability to play deep in both 2-deep looks as well as in single high safety schemes. And after a year of filling in at linebacker, Bell is more than capable of playing in the box in a thumper role but also matched up in man coverage against the likes of running backs, tight ends and slot receivers.

Depending on the gameplan, either player looks capable of taking over for Wilson, or even Malik Hooker, for portions of a game. If Mike Zimmer is planning more split safety looks that week, Thomas is the better option. If Zimmer wants an extra defender closer to the line of scrimmage, Bell is a great option. The point is he has options as his disposal.

Such a shakeup could get better production from the position, or it might just serve as a wakeup call for the starters. Either outcome would signal success.

There’s a saying, “money plays in the NFL” and that seems to carry extra weight on the Cowboys. Higher drafted players and/or players making big money typically get the benefit of the doubt in Dallas, even if they’re being outplayed by others. Wilson, playing on a fresh three-year, $21 million contract, has the seventh highest salary cap number on the team this season. It’s a status no one would guess by just watching the film this season and it’s a status that brings with it extra scrutiny when performance drops such as it has.

As things stand Thomas and Bell are chronically underused and, in some ways, misused. Thomas and Bell only have a combined 21 defensive snaps this season. That usage rate would be understandable if both starters were playing at All-Pro levels, but neither are. Of the 76 safeties Pro Football Focus has graded, Wilson ranks 48th and Hooker 64th this season. If Thomas and Bell are truly as good as many seem to think they are, they could certainly stand to steal some of the starter’s snaps on defense in coming weeks.

Such a move wouldn’t have to be absolute or permanent, but it would be tapping a resource and potentially fixing a problem.

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Markquese Bell puts on defensive clinic in preseason opener, Cowboys player of the game

The third-year player is on the move again, shining in the Cowboys preseason opener under new DC Mike Zimmer. From @timlettiero

Football is finally back as the Dallas Cowboys kicked off their exhibition schedule against the Los Angeles Rams. Playing in L.A., the Cowboys put on a defensive masterclass for 56 minutes under the direction of their new defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer. Although the score did not end in their favor, Dallas was able to come away with four interceptions off the arm of QB Stetson Bennett.

It was an overall fantastic showing for the defense but third-year safety —yes safety— Markquese Bell, shined in his return to his natural position.

After the defense allowed a lengthy, 12-play drive to open the game, Bell nearly came away with a tird-down interception in the end zone which allowed Dallas to hold LA to just three.

He’d get his get back as on the very next drive, coming down with the ball after an air-mailed pass from Bennett.

To finish up his tremendous first quarter he’d make a stop inside the Rams own five-yard line before RB Boston Scott could break away for a big gain.

Bell finished his day with a game high nine total tackles, six solo and three assisted, as well as the interception. He was only given two quarters of game time but looked poised and fired up for the regular season.

How he will be fully utilized remains to be seen however today might have been a glimpse into what could potentially be a fantastic relationship between Bell and Zimmer. He had some very encouraging words about his new DC after the game.

“It’s the type of defense that he brings and the type of culture that he brings to the team,” said Bell of his new coordinator. “He has a great scheme and we love it. We love it. It’s gonna work, it’s gonna work.

“We’re putting it in and it’s fresh, and we have our edits about it but when you see it in real life, it works.” – via DallasCowboys.com

LOOK: Cowboys safety Markquese Bell picks off Rams QB Stetson Bennett

The Cowboys’ safety must miss being penciled in as a starter, because he’s already making preseason plays.

The Dallas defense bent but didn’t break on their opening drive, keeping the Los Angeles Rams to three points in the exhibition opener. There were no such things on drive No. 2.

That’s because on 3rd-and-8 they didn’t allow a completion nor conversion. Instead they gave the ball back to their offense courtesy of safety Markquese Bell. Commonly thought to be No. 4 on the depth chart after spending most of the 2023 as a linebacker due to attrition, Bell announced that he should not be overlooked.

Rams QB Stetson Bennett overthrew his target, UT rookie Jordan Whittington, and Bell was well aware, reaching up to snag the ball out of the air for the interception.

Bell almost kept the Rams off the scoreboard on the first drive with an end zone interception he wasn’t able to bring in, but he had no such difficulty on this one, the first turnover of the young exhibition season.

Cowboys’ Markquese Bell likely to return to safety in 2024

From @ToddBrock24f7: The undrafted Florida A&M safety filled in at LB for the injury-plagued Cowboys, but Zimmer will likely put him back where he can excel.

The experiment was born out of necessity and actually brought surprising results, for a while. But now it seems likely that Cowboys safety-turned-part-time-linebacker Markquese Bell will return to his natural position in the Dallas secondary for 2024.

David Moore of the Dallas Morning News projected the switch in a piece last week, and the sentiment was echoed the same day by Patrik Walker, who covers the team from inside The Star. It’s not a breaking development, and it’s not even official, but it sure seems to be one of the more obvious moves to be made by new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

Bell, who went undrafted out of Florida A&M in 2022, showed plenty of promise in five game appearances during his rookie season. He showed enough, in fact, that he became the latest Cowboys defender to be asked to moonlight at another position in Dan Quinn’s flexibility-above-all defense in 2023.

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DeMarvion Overshown was lost in the preseason, and Leighton Vander Esch went down in Week 5. When the team didn’t bring in reinforcements from outside the building, the 6-foot-3-inch 205-pounder was tasked with taking on linebacker duties.

He did well, logging a top-10 defensive snap count and racking up 94 tackles to finish second on the team while lining up primarily at ‘backer. He also added four passes defended, three tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles, ending up with a top-20 PFF grade and a coverage score that made him fifth-best among all linebackers.

But Bell and the Cowboys’ undersized LB corps were exposed late in the season and especially in the playoffs. Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love said as much when he revealed that the Packers’ game plan in the wild card round was to pound the run game.

“I’m not trying to talk,” Love told Micah Parsons on a podcast, “but y’all[‘s] linebackers, you know? I think you had a DB playing linebacker.”

The Packers’ ground attack rolled for 143 yards that day. But that wasn’t an anomaly. The 2023 Cowboys allowed 125 rushing yards or more five times all last season, including playoffs. Three of those games were played Week 15 or later.

By the time the season was winding down, so was the novelty- and effectiveness- of Dallas camouflaging their safeties as linebackers.

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Now with Zimmer at the helm, Cowboys fans can likely expect to see a return to bigger bodies in the middle of the defense. Free agent signee Eric Kendricks weighs in at 232. Damone Clark and Buddy Johnson are 240 apiece. Even Overshown, the lightest of the team’s true linebackers, came in at 220 last year, a full 15 pounds beefier than Bell.

But Bell more than showed he can have an impact on the team moving forward. His skills will likely be put to better use in a talented safety corps that includes veterans Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson, along with promising youngsters Juanyeh Thomas and Israel Mukuamu.

While the Cowboys could stand to add to their linebacker numbers in the draft, the team seems well-poised to carry on at the safety position, even without Jayron Kearse (who is still on the free agent market). Bell’s admirable play at linebacker should help cement his spot on the roster, except now it will likely be in the position where he can not just hold his own but truly excel.

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Cowboys’ Markquese Bell to be named NFL HBCU Player of the Year

From @ToddBrock24f7: The dynamic safety/linebacker out of Florida A&M joins a long line of Cowboys greats who have come to the pros from HBCUs.

Jerry Rice. Walter Payton. Michael Strahan. Deacon Jones. Richard Dent. Mel Blount. Art Shell. Steve McNair.

Theirs are some of the most legendary names in NFL history, but their individual journeys to the loftiest ranks in the sport had somewhat more humble beginnings.

They are just a few of the players who came to the pros by way of the nation’s historically Black colleges and universities. And now one of the Cowboys’ own is being recognized as the most outstanding HBCU player in the game for 2023.

Safety Markquese Bell will be honored during Super Bowl Week as the NFL HBCU Spotlight Player of the Year.

“I am humbly grateful for this honor and acknowledgment to be selected for the NFL HBCU Spotlight Player of the Year for the 2023 season,” Bell said.

The just-turned-25-year-old went undrafted out of Florida A&M in 2022 and made the Cowboys’ initial 53-man roster after impressing coaches during training camp. He was still learning the ropes during his rookie campaign, taking just 22 defensive snaps in five game appearances.

But his second season saw a huge jump in his involvement, as well as his production. In a safety/linebacker hybrid role, Bell was in on 649 defensive snaps in the regular season, representing more than 60% of the unit’s action.

Playing in every game (and starting 12 of them), Bell racked up 94 tackles, second-most on the team and forced two fumbles, also second-best.

But he won’t be resting on those numbers heading into his third NFL season.

“I know that I must work extremely hard during this off-season to condition my body to prepare for the everyday grind as a professional football player,” Bell said, per The Famuan. “I am extremely excited about getting with my coaches and teammates this off-season to study my craft and add more tools to my toolbelt.”

There’s a high bar set for Bell in Dallas, as several of the franchise’s all-time greats also came from HBCUs, including Rayfield Wright (Fort Valley State), Bob Hayes (Florida A&M), Ed “Too Tall” Jones (Tennessee State), Everson Walls (Grambling State), Jethro Pugh (Elizabeth City State), Erik Williams (Central State), and Nate Newton (Florida A&M).

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Several HBCU alums are currently on NFL rosters: Javon Hargrave, Grover Stewart, Isaiah Bolden, Darius Leonard, and Terron Armstead are among them.

While the still-new NFL HBCU Combine and recent national attention given to smaller programs like Jackson State- under the former leadership of Cowboys legend Deion Sanders- have created opportunities for many players who might not otherwise get the looks from NFL teams, Bell is aware that he’s an ambassador for HBCUs and a role model for other under-recognized players every time he steps on the field.

“I do realize God has placed upon me to lead and be an example for many,” Bell explained, “and for that matter, I have accepted my calling to be intentional in the most positive way that I know as to the lives I affect from those watching me.”

There will be plenty watching in the fall as Bell embarks on his third season as a key contributor within the Cowboys defense.

Bell will be honored as the NFL HBCU Spotlight Player of the Year at The Super Bowl Soulful Celebration, airing Feb. 10 on CBS. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will receive the prestigious Faith in Action Award at the same event. Bills safety Damar Hamlin will be presented with the New Beginnings Award,” while CBS host and ex-NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson will be given the Lifetime of Inspiration Award.

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Studs and duds in Cowboys’ NFC East clinching 38-10 Week 18 win

The studs on offense led the way for the Dallas Cowboys in their 38-10 NFC East clinching win over the Washington Commanders in Week 18. | From @BenGrimaldi

The Dallas Cowboys had one mission in Week 18, to leave Washington D.C. with a win and the NFC East title. Mission accomplished as the Cowboys routed the Washington Commanders in a 38-10 win that secured the team’s second division title in the last three years.

They took a little bit of time to get going, but a barrage that started late in the second quarter saw the Cowboys assert their dominance and blow out the Commanders behind a complete team effort. In a rivalry matchup, Mike McCarthy had to know his team would get everything the Commanders had in what was likely Ron Rivera’s last game with the team, and Dallas withstood the aggressive approach to pull away for the victory.

It was another great performance for the offense, while the defense got three more turnovers to guide the Cowboys. Here are the studs and duds from an NFC East clinching win for the Cowboys in Week 18.

Cowboys banking big on Bell, Clark with Vander Esch out for year

How good Markquese Bell and Damone Clark have been for the Cowboys and why it’s so important they stay healthy going forward. | From @ReidDHanson

It seems as if the Cowboys pulled off the Band-Aid on the Leighton Vander Esch situation. Speaking on 105.3 the Fan Tuesday, Dallas owner Jerry Jones announced their star LB would miss the remainder of the season following a neck injury suffered in Week 5.

Initially there were hopes the 27-year-old would return from IR at some point in 2023. But the severity and nature of the injury coupled with his history of neck issues made that little more than wishful thinking. Now the reality has set in and Dallas must settle in to their alternative options for the remainder of the season.

As for Vander Esch’s long-term prognosis, it’s likely nothing will be decided officially until the offseason. But the short-term fallout is something that needs to be recognized. Reinforcements are not on the way this season and aside from some possible low-level churning, this is the LB squad Dallas has from here on out.

Even for a team like the Cowboys, who run very little base defense and rely heavily on their safeties in big nickel groups, they are desperately thin at the LB position. Only Damone Clark and Micah Parsons are listed as official LBs on the active roster.

Granted, Parsons is primarily an EDGE and Markquese Bell is a LB in most senses of the job description, but the point remains: they are thin and possibly an injury away from disaster.

When the postseason nears and yards get tough, having legit LBs on the field will be key. Jayron Kearse and Donovan Wilson are nice in a pinch and can serve many of the LB responsibilities, but they have limitations against the run.

While Dallas has multiple options on their practice squad, Clark and Bell are the only true starting level entities on the roster. Preserving them for the season is paramount because they represent the Cowboys best efforts at LB and especially at run defense.