LB Markquese Bell was a STEAL for the Cowboys: Film Breakdown

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The Dallas Cowboys are just a factory of hybrid safety linebacker types. And it looks like they found another one with Markquese Bell, second year UDFA out of Florida A&M. Through the first eight weeks, he's PFF's highest graded linebacker. I wouldn't say he's been the best linebacker in the NFL; but, probably top 10. He ranks 5th in run stop rate, only a 3% missed tackle percentage, which ranks 6th. And he's a converted safety so he's got some high end coverage skills for a linebacker.

The first thing that stands out to me getting into Markquese Bell's tape is that screen passes and flat routes are pretty much off the table. The tackling ability, only one miss on the season. That shows up in really high leverage situations. It's not him coming in late, hitting the pile, getting an assist. A lot of these, he's the last line of defense out in open space, usually recovering some leverage from over in the middle of the field and just making it great tackle. Right here it's third and goal. The Los Angeles Chargers are running snag, which is corner, hitch, flat. 

Locking their coverage here, meaning whoever you're lined up on pre snap, that's who you're sticking with for the whole play. They're not switching it off or anything. So Markquese Bell has to work around all this traffic to get in position to make the play. If Justin Herbert saw this faster and just hit Austin Ekeler immediately, he'd probably have a touchdown here, so that kind of evens out some of the disadvantage that Bell was at. But Ekeler has to turn around to find the ball. Bell gets there with a full head of steam, hits him hard enough to keep him out of the endzone.

Here, the New York Giants are running a slipscreen to the left. Bell gets into his own drop, reads the play, sees he's got blockers down field, immediately breaks the football and outmaneuvers these offensive linemen. The running back kind of bounces off of his block here, and Bell just blindsides him, knocking the ball out. And the Giants end up recovering their own fumble. 

On this play the Chargers are going to fake this orbit motion screen pass to the left and then leak Austin Ekeler out for a slip screen to the right. Bell does a great job reading this play, Ekeler is working over downfield. The setter's kinda floating downfield to the right and he beats the right guard to his landmark, leads with his head into the catch point and forces an incompletion. Right here the Los Angeles Rams are running a tunnel screen. They do a good job creating this alley, walling out the defensive backs. If we just imagine that Markquese Bell isn't in this play, or he's getting sealed off by the left tackle, Tutu Atwell has a lot of space to run here. 

But again, it's just quick and immediate play recognition, beating the blocker to his aiming point, and then making a tackle in open space. On this play we've got a bubble screen to Puka Nacua. The corners are levering these blocks, getting outside leverage, forcing everything back inside. And there's just no delay for Markquese Bell reading the play, accelerating, making the tackle. The actual downfield coverage ability, we haven't seen him in a whole lot of compromising situations. I have no questions about his speed to carry titans down the seam. 

He can keep up with mesh and crossing routes. If he's at a standstill in the middle of the field, and then he's got something working across the formation, he can accelerate from a standstill, make up that distance, and get into passing windows. But up to this point it has been a lot more underneath stuff, At least he's been targeted on overall though, as far as linebackers go, he's about as good as it gets in terms of pure coverage ability. The instincts and play recognition and zone coverage, that's what we still have to see.

Now, he's mostly a sub package linebacker, when you've got one of these converted safeties really undersized, trying to get in there and shed blocks. There are certain limitations, but you're basically making the gamble that the amount of plays he's gonna make in the backfield is gonna outweigh the number of times he gets pancaked or stuck to blocks. And that does happen at times with Markquese Bell, but overall I think he's been a net positive in run defense. As I've mentioned, play recognition is almost never an issue with him. Even for a safety, he's a great athlete. He ran a 4.41 in the 40-yard dash, and as long as they're occupying blocks up front and they can keep him clean, I think he's going to continue to make a lot of plays.

On this play the Rams are running duo where they've got two double teams on both the defensive tackles. The goal of duo is for the running back to make the playside linebacker wrong. So he's reading Markquese Bell, making his decision based on which gap he fits into. Bell's gonna flash into this A gap that tells Royce Freeman to hit the B gap right off of this front side double team, but he's able to quickly slide over into that B gap. Dorance Armstrong wins the inside on the tied end, so he takes away these first two options. 

Royce Freeman cuts it back, but Bell is able to avoid the blocks, work back over, and still make the tackle. For a linebacker that's not gonna win very many one on one stack and shed situations, it's really important that they have great play recognition... And they're able to anticipate blocks with their peripheral vision and avoid them before they get there. Right here he does a good job keying the play, working downfield. As he's about to fit into this C gap, he dips this outside arm to avoid the block from Ben Skowronek. That allows him to go basically unblock to make the tackle.

Right here the Chargers are running inside zone. He takes a wide path through this A Gap to make sure that Jamaree Salyer can't reach him at the second level. Great flexibility to dip underneath this block and finish with the shoestring tackle. Here, they're leaving Osa Odighizuwa unblocked. And then they've got the left tackle pulling across the formation, kicking him out. the center's climbing to the second level to block Markquese Bell. 

Again, he shoulder dips underneath the block, makes the stop on Saquon Barkley. So I like a lot of the ways that he's able to subtly kind of contort his body to avoid blocks and open space. That's what you've got to do if you're an undersized linebacker is number one, be able to read the play and anticipate blocks. And number two, try to win with quickness instead of trying to win with power. and that's something he needs to continue to develop, but I think he's at a great starting point. 

The Jabril Cox pick ended up not working out, but Markquese Bell is looking like a good replacement for what they had envisioned for that role. And the Cowboys just continue to load up on these hybrid safety linebacker type of players. Anytime someone goes down with injury, it seems like they just plug someone in that I vaguely remember from a couple of drafts ago and they ended up being really good.