| Markquese Bell | |
| Current Team: | Dallas Cowboys |
| Number: | 14 |
| Position: | Safety |
| Birth Date: | January 6, 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Bridgeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 3 |
| Weight Lb: | 205 |
| High School: | Bridgeton |
| College: | Florida A&M |
| Undraftedyear: | 2022 |
| Pastteams: |
|
| Status: | Active |
| Highlights: | |
| Statseason: | 2023 |
| Statlabel1: | Total tackles |
| Statvalue1: | 95 |
| Statlabel2: | Pass deflections |
| Statvalue2: | 4 |
| Statlabel3: | Interceptions |
| Statlabel4: | Forced fumbles |
| Statvalue4: | 2 |
| Statlabel5: | Fumble recoveries |
| Statlabel6: | Defensive touchdowns |
| Pfr: | BellMa01 |
Markquese Bell (born January 6, 1999) is an American football safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida A&M Rattlers.
Bell grew up in Bridgeton, New Jersey and attended Bridgeton 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 play college football at Maryland over offers from Ohio State, Rutgers, and Virginia.[2]
Bell accepted a football scholarship from the University 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 to Coffeyville Community College for the 2018 season and made 52 tackles with two interceptions. After the season, Bell transferred to Florida A&M University.[5]
As a sophomore in 2019, he started 11 games at safety, 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 the COVID-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 the University of South Florida.
| Season | Team | GP | Solo | Ast | Tot | Int | Avg | Yds | TD | PD | FF | FR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida A&M | 11 | 39 | 24 | 63 | 4 | 9.7 | 39 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Florida A&M | Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||||||||
| 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 | ||||
Bell was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2022 NFL draft on May 1.[6] [7] He was declared inactive in 12 games. He appeared in 5 games as a backup and compiled one tackle on defense.
In 2023, after rookie DeMarvion Overshown suffered a season-ending injury, Bell passed Devin Harper on the depth chart for the strongside 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 the New York Giants. He made 7 tackles and one pass breakup against the Los Angeles Chargers. He had 10 tackles against the Detroit Lions. He made 9 tackles and one quarterbackpressure in the 32–48 Wildcard Playoff loss against the Green Bay Packers. His efforts earned him the NFL's HBCU Spotlight Player of the Year award.
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | TD | PD | |||
| DAL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| DAL | 17 | 12 | 94 | 61 | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| Career | 22 | 12 | 95 | 62 | 33 | 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 | |||
| DAL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| DAL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||