| No. 14 –Dallas Cowboys | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Safety | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1999-01-06)January 6, 1999 (age 26) Bridgeton, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Bridgeton | ||||||||
| College: | Coffeyville CC (2018) Florida A&M (2019–2021) | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2022 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Markquese Bell (born January 6, 1999) is an American professionalfootballsafety for theDallas Cowboys of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theFlorida A&M Rattlers.
Bell grew up inBridgeton, New Jersey and attendedBridgeton High School.[1] As a senior, he was the starter at quarterback and defensive back, tallying 885 rushing yards, 7 touchdowns, 76 tackles, 2 interceptions, 3 pass breakups and one forced fumble. He was a two-time second-team all-state selection and the 2015 South Jersey Times Offensive Player of the Year.
He was rated a four-star recruit and committed to playcollege football at Maryland over offers from Ohio State, Rutgers, and Virginia.[2]
Bell accepted a football scholarship from theUniversity of Maryland. He was suspended entering his freshman season due to a violation of the team's code of conduct.[3] He was ultimately expelled from the school before ever playing in a game for the Terrapins.[4]
He transferred toCoffeyville Community College for the 2018 season and made 52 tackles with two interceptions. After the season, Bell transferred toFlorida A&M University.[5]
As a sophomore in 2019, he started 11 games atsafety, posting 61 tackles (5 for loss), 5 interceptions (tied for the conference lead), 9 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles.
In 2020, he was not able to play, as the school opted to cancel its football games due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
As a senior in 2021, he started 12 games, registering 95 tackles (led the team), 6.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, one interception, one pass breakup and 5 forced fumbles. He had 15 tackles (one for loss), one sack, and one forced fumble against theUniversity of South Florida.
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Season | Team | GP | Solo | Ast | Tot | Int | Avg | Yds | TD | PD | FF | FR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Florida A&M | 11 | 39 | 24 | 63 | 4 | 9.7 | 39 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | Florida A&M | Season cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic | |||||||||||||
| 2021 | Florida A&M | 12 | 71 | 24 | 95 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 23 | 110 | 48 | 158 | 5 | 4.8 | 39 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft2+1⁄8 in (1.88 m) | 212 lb (96 kg) | 32+3⁄8 in (0.82 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.41 s | 1.51 s | 2.56 s | 4.37 s | 7.25 s | 36.5 in (0.93 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | ||
| Sources:[6][7] | ||||||||||||
Bell was signed as anundrafted free agent by theDallas Cowboys after the2022 NFL draft on May 1.[8][9] He was declared inactive in 12 games. He appeared in 5 games as a backup and compiled one tackle on defense.[10]
In2023, after rookieDeMarvion Overshown suffered a season-ending injury, Bell passedDevin Harper on the depth chart for thestrongside linebacker job. By the end of the season, the effectiveness of camouflaging safeties as hybrid linebackers eventually caught up with the Cowboys and the team was exposed defending the run game. Bell appeared in 17 games with 8 starts, registering 103 tackles (second on the team), 3 tackles for loss and 4 pass breakups. He had 8 tackles (one for loss) and one forced fumble in the season opener against theNew York Giants. He made 7 tackles and one pass breakup against theLos Angeles Chargers. He had 10 tackles against theDetroit Lions. He made 9 tackles and one quarterback pressure in the 32–48 Wildcard Playoff loss against theGreen Bay Packers. His efforts earned him the NFL'sHBCU Spotlight Player of the Year award.[11]
Bell made nine appearances for Dallas in 2024, logging six combined tackles. On November 20, 2024, it was announced that Bell would require season–ending surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder he suffered in Week 11.[12]
On March 9, 2025, Bell signed a three-year, $9 million contract extension with the Cowboys.[13]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | TD | PD | ||
| 2022 | DAL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | DAL | 17 | 12 | 94 | 61 | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2024 | DAL | 9 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | DAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 31 | 12 | 101 | 67 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | TD | PD | ||
| 2022 | DAL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | DAL | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |