FAMU’s Markquese Bell is a hybrid but now he’s about that LB life for Dallas Cowboys
After a standout career at Florida A&M University, There is no reason why Markquese Bell shouldn’t have been selected in 2022 NFL Draft
It’s another indictment of the NFL on how it’s treats and scouts players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
But there is no question that Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn had a plan and vision for Bell, a standout safety in college ,who has now become a heat seeking missile at linebacker in his second year in the NFL.
Although Bell only played in five games as rookie, the Cowboys gave him a $200,000 guaranteed on his rookie deal.
They began to lean into that investment when linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, the third-round pick from Texas, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason.
The 6-foot-2, 218-pound Bell’s 4.41 speed in the 40 and fearlessness as a tackler proved to be perfect solution for the hybrid linebacker-safety role the Cowboys had envisioned for Overshown.
“That definitely was part of why we wanted him so much in the first place,” Quinn said. “He has the length and the size to do that. And then when D-Mo was injured, there was really only one other person that had that kind of speed and striking ability, and that was ‘Quese.
“So when Bell gets in there, you feel some of those same type of run-and-hit factor plays, that he can match up and go. That’s why, for me, there was really no one else I was going to call to make that move other than Markqeuse, because I had a vision for him coming out of A&M, that he could do the linebacker jobs.”
Bell proved Quinn right in the season opener when he led the team with eight tackles and had a forced fumble.
“I think of the sound of his hit that took place when there was a contact, you felt explosion. You felt hitting. You felt striking ability. That’s what I look for from a linebacker or a safety,” Quinn said. “Knowing that he’s going to be in where the action is and he is about that life. That’s a good thing.”
Bell has always been about that hitting life dating back to this days at Florida A&M.
But his role with the Cowboys was largely one for subpackages until linebacker Leighton Vander Esch suffered a neck injury against the 49ers and was placed on injured reserve two weeks ago.
Quinn moved Bell into the starting lineup next to Damone Clark for the Chargers game and he didn’t flinch.
Bell recorded seven tackles and had a pass deflection.
There are two other plays that stood out most against the Chargers that showed his ability and things the Cowboys hope to build on going forward.
They were two tackles on elusive running back Austin Ekeler, one was in the backfield for a loss and the other was on a screen pass when he stopped him in his tracks at the 1-yard line to keep him out of the end zone.
Which one did Bell like the most?
“I would say the run through that I had on man call,” Bell said. “I’ve been working on that, just seeing the formation, seeing the o-linemen and everything. The fact that I put it into play and it was successful, I was really proud of that.”
Outside of his speed and hitting, the Cowboys have impressed with Bell’s intelligence since his rookie year.
He has worked hard and was prepared for his moment, as well as his transition from safety to linebacker.
Despite just one career start, Bell is currently third on the team in tackles with 29 with one forced fumble and one pass deflection.
Bell is the eighth-highest graded linebacker in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, who give him strong marks in coverage, run defense and pass rush.
“They’ve been working with me making sure I get everything down,” Bell said. “It’s been good, the transition has been pretty good. I got a lot of guys at different positions helping me, coaches helping me every step of the way. The transition isn’t hard when I have all of those guys supporting me to be the best.”
So what does he see himself as, a safety or a linebacker?
“I consider myself a hybrid,” Bell said. “That’s what I tell the guys all the time. They try to tell me I’m a linebacker, they tell me ‘oh you’re still a [safety],” I’m a hybrid. The more versatile I can be, the more I can help.”
He’s also about that life, as Quinn said.
