Little-known linebacker a camp standout for the Miami Dolphins

When the Miami Dolphins released their first depth chart of the 2024 season on Monday, not much stood out. We all knew that Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle were the starting receivers. Everyone knew that Tua Tagovailoa, fresh off his monster extension , was the starting quarterback. Much to many people’s dismay, it was pretty well known that Liam Eichenberg and Robert Jones would be the starting guards.

What did take some people by surprise was who the Dolphins decided to list as a starter in the linebacker corps. A lot of fans were unfamiliar with the name Quinton Bell, so it took many by surprise – even with the health issues the Dolphins currently have at the position – to see him listed as one of the two starting outside linebackers.

If you’ve been following along during the Dolphins training camp, though, this news shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise to you. Bell has been one of the standout players early on this summer. It seems like every training camp news and notes piece from Dolphins beat writers has made mention of Bell nearly every day so far.

Bell was originally drafted by the Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft . Since then, he has bounced around the league, landing on practice squads with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles after his brief stint on the Raiders practice squad.

In-between his stops in Tampa and Philadelphia, Bell landed with the Atlanta Falcons , where he saw his most significant NFL action to date. Bell played linebacker for the Falcons in three games during the 2022 season before ultimately being waived by the team in early November and eventually landing with the Eagles, and now the Dolphins.

It’s important to remember that the Dolphins depth chart is going to change a lot between today and when the season starts in early September. It’s also important to remember that both Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb are missing from the active roster, as both have been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Once those players are added, Bell will likely see his opportunity greatly diminished.

Still, Bell finds himself in a position to show both the Dolphins and the rest of the league what he can do now. All indications point to Bell being given every opportunity to impress – whether that be with this team, or wherever his next stop may be.