The Dallas Cowboys were quite conservative with how they used (or didn’t use) their players in the preseason. But when they decided to sit Markquese Bell for the second game of August, it was as controversial a decision as you could get.

Why sit a player who is your fourth safety at best? It was a clear indication Bell would be a part of the 53-man roster, which fans and media members agreed was controversial.

Well, now Bell needs to prove his coaching staff right—and the staff needs him to do it with urgency. The injury bug has hit the Cowboys safety room hard and chances are Bell will be starting in Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Dallas lost safety Malik Hooker in Week 1, and one week later, they lost PJ Locke, who had been Hooker’s replacement. The immediate reaction might be that the Cowboys still have Jalen Thompson and first-round rookie Caleb Downs at safety, so there should be no cause for concern. The reality is more complicated.

Caleb Downs’ role changes the equation

Downs is full steam ahead as the Cowboys’ nickelback. Whenever Dallas goes to its nickel package, meaning five defensive backs on the field, Downs will be the one playing close to the line of scrimmage. The Cowboys have said repeatedly that is where they want him. That leaves one opening at safety alongside Thompson, and on Sunday against the Washington Commanders, Bell filled it.

To be fair, Bell was thrown into the fire. He was the Cowboys’ fourth safety on the depth chart, and by Week 2, he was being asked to play defense for a significant chunk of the game. That is not ideal under any circumstances, and the Commanders clearly identified him as a point of emphasis once he entered the game.

Bell’s mistakes were costly

The errors were visible. Perhaps the most glaring came when Bell was playing a deep quarter zone. He kept backpedaling despite already being 20 yards in front of the line of scrimmage, leaving a massive opening on the field. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels attacked the space, and Bell repeated the same mistake at least once more during the game.

The Baltimore Ravens will absolutely circle Bell on their game plan after watching the Week 2 tape. And this is a new scheme for Bell. He has been on the team since the Dan Quinn era as defensive coordinator. Since then, the Cowboys have gone from Quinn to Mike Zimmer to Matt Eberflus, and now Bell (who earlier in his career even had to start ten games at linebacker) needs to operate in yet another system.

The current scheme plays a lot of quarters coverage and deep zones. It also relies heavily on defensive backs communicating within a play, making calls and adjustments on the fly to match receivers’ route distributions. Bell is going to have a lot on his plate.

Is there hope for Hooker’s return?

Unless Hooker can go on Sunday, the Cowboys will likely field Bell and Thompson at safety with Downs playing nickel. The Ravens do play a lot of heavy personnel groupings with two tight ends or two running backs, so Dallas could potentially counter with base personnel and keep the safety spots limited to Thompson and Downs.

However, the New York Giants consistently exploited the Cowboys’ base looks by targeting outside linebackers in coverage. That remains to be seen.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said it would be tough for Hooker and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown to play Sunday, especially because the team is treating this as a short week. The Cowboys are flying to Brazil on Thursday night, which makes their availability even more challenging. 

The roster decision revisited

When the Cowboys decided to keep Bell, it raised eyebrows because Dallas had other standout safeties during the preseason. Julius Wood was one of them, and he ended up being waived. The Cowboys lost him on the waiver wire for the second time in three years. Dallas went unusually deep at safety on the 53-man roster, keeping Thompson, Downs, Hooker, Locke, Bell, and even Alijah Clark.

That depth is being tested now. The controversial decision to keep Bell over other options has placed him squarely under the spotlight, and it is time for him to prove the Cowboys’ coaching staff right after fans and observers questioned their decision-making at the position.