Cowboys' Markquese Bell is giving coaches a problem everyone in the NFL wants to have

There's no shortage of NFL players eager to tell the world they're willing to do whatever it takes to help out their team. But Dallas Cowboys safety Markquese Bell goes out there and proves it every time he's on the field.

Bell, safety-turned-linebacker-turned-safety-again has had a unique career path in the league since arriving at Dallas back in 2022 as an undrafted free agent. Less than a month before the 2023 season, he was tasked with switching to linebacker, and he ended up being one of the best coverage LBs in the league while playing 61% of the snaps in 17 games while starting eight.

Fast forward to 2024 and with him being back at safety after the Cowboys overhauled the linebacker room ... he might not see the field a whole lot.

You see, Bell is giving the Cowboys coaching staff a problem every one in the NFL wishes they have: Having a player that could -maybe should- be starting sitting on the bench because you've got even better players on the field. With how hard it is to have depth in the league, that's the dream.

Since early in the offseason, it became clear safety was the deepest position group on the team's roster. Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson lead the way as the starters while backups Juanyeh Thomas and Bell make significant pushes for playing time. The latter is particularly intriguing given how much he played last year combined with the fact that he did it at a high level yet at a different position.

None of this matters to Bell as he's focused on the same thing he's been focused on since signing with the Cowboys: Helping out.

"Honestly, I just want to help the team the best I can," Bell told reporters after the team's preseason opener in which he picked off Rams QB Stetson Bennett. "I feel like me doing that is going to help myself excel. But just being whatever the team needs me to be whenever it needs me to be that."

At this stage, Bell should be considered a roster lock. But he still has a lot to play for in these preseason games, as he knows the question the coaching staff now needs to answer is if there's a way to get him on the field now that the Cowboys are moving away from Dan Quinn's "Big Nickel" looks featuring three safeties. In other words, can he impress them to the point where there's no choice but to use him in particular matchups?

He sure got off to a strong start last Sunday when he posted the second-highest PFF grade among Cowboys defenders with one interception, six tackles, and no receptions allowed.

"I came from a smaller school, I already have a chip on my shoulder, I just go in every day with a chip on my shoulder and I just compete," Bell added.

Related: 5 legit Cowboys' roster candidates that need to bounce back now to avoid being cut