Dallas Cowboys safety Markquese Bell was arrested on Friday in Prosper with possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana, according to Collin County court records. Records have not shown if he has been released as of early Saturday morning.
While the marijuana possession was classified as a misdemeanor, the possession of a controlled substance charge holds a felony classification in the state of Texas.
Bell has spent all four of his NFL seasons with the Cowboys after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022 out of Florida A&M. In his rookie year, he served in a special teams role primarily before ascending into a starting linebacker role in 2023 following injuries to DeMarvion Overshown and Leighton Vander Esch. He went on to account for 94 tackles, four pass deflections and two forced fumbles that year, earning him the NFL’s HBCU Spotlight Award.
In 2024, he resorted to a special teams role again and played in just nine games before having his season cut short by a gruesome dislocated shoulder injury. This past season, Bell’s defensive role saw a slight uptick, as he tallied 41 tackles and recorded his first NFL interception while playing all 17 games.
It’s not the first time Bell has had some off-the-field issues. As a college player at the University of Maryland in 2017, Bell was expelled from the school just days before the start of his freshman season after a “violation of the student-athlete code of conduct,” according to head coach DJ Durkin. The exact details were never disclosed.
He transferred to Coffeyville Community College for the 2018 season before transferring to Florida A&M where he played two seasons and landed on the NFL radar.
Bell is the second player from the Cowboys to be arrested this offseason, as second-year defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku was booked on a reckless driving charge in Plano in January.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Nick Harris is the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has experience working on the beat for DallasCowboys.com and previous work experience at Yahoo Sports/Rivals and 247Sports.