Cowboys coach overcome by emotion when discussing nasty injury that happened during loss to Texans
The Dallas Cowboys' loss to the Houston Texans was another painful one as the team fell 34-10 but additional injuries are what made it hurt even more. That includes Jake Ferguson's concussion, which could knock him out of this week's matchup vs. the Washington Commanders, and Zack Martin's ankle injury. But one that stood out given […]
The Dallas Cowboys' loss to the Houston Texans was another painful one as the team fell 34-10 but additional injuries are what made it hurt even more. That includes Jake Ferguson's concussion, which could knock him out of this week's matchup vs. the Washington Commanders, and Zack Martin's ankle injury.
But one that stood out given the pain he was apparently in was a shoulder injury to safety and special teams contributor Markquese Bell, who didn't return to the field after being hurt in the second quarter.
Bell's injury clearly impacted the team, as evidenced by special teams coordinator John Fassel, who was overcome by emotion during Tuesday's press conference.
"Yeah, yeah, that one hurts," an emotional Fassel said after taking a pause. "I mean, (Bell) has put as good of special teams' ball through 10 games as I can remember. Man, he just, you know, he got hurt doing what he does best—flying in there, diving. He's going to be okay, but man, just gosh, you spend so much time with these guys in meetings, on the practice field, and the game field."
Bell's injury stings specially given his story. He's fought hard to be a part of this team after being an undrafted signing. He switched positions in 2023 when Dan Quinn's defense ran out of linebackers and excelled in coverage while doing so. Fast forward to 2024, and he hasn't blinked after being stripped from a starting role on Mike Zimmer's defense.
"The emotions of, you know, undrafted to wanting a little bit more, accepting his role, and thriving in his role—damn," Fassel added. "And I'm hurting for him because he was on a mission. He was as good as we've had in a while. So, that one hurt."
Defensively, Bell has struggled to get on the field after being a starter for the Cowboys at linebacker in 2023. However, he's been an ace on special teams for John Fassel's unit, being a Top 5 player as far as special teams snaps, per Pro Football Reference.
Bell is set to hit free agency in 2025 and with the Cowboys' coaching staff likely to undergo big changes in the offseason, his future with the team is unfortunately, quickly getting blurrier.
