Cowboys DB Markquese Bell arrested on felony possession of controlled substance

Dallas Cowboys safety Markquese Bell was arrested on two separate drug charges in Prosper, Texas on Friday night, jail records show. Those charges include a felony count of possession of a controlled substance, as well as a Class B misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana.

He was arrested by the Prosper Police Department and booked into the Collin County Jail. It’s unclear what led to Bell’s arrest as of this report.

The total amount of marijuana totaled less than two ounces, while the unidentified controlled substance amounted to less than one gram. The drug is classified in Penalty Group 2, and possession of which is a felony in Texas.

Bell was an important piece of the Cowboys’ defense last season. He recorded 41 total tackles, three pass breakups and an interception while appearing in 17 games including three starts.

Bell does have somewhat of a checkered past dating back to his days at Maryland. He was suspended indefinitely by Maryland in 2017 before the season opener of his freshman season for violating the team’s code of conduct.

He left the program all together before the regular season was up. He transferred to Coffeyville Community College before landing at Florida A&M. Bell was undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, but was picked up by the Cowboys and has been in Dallas ever since.

The best season of his career so far came in 2023. He played in all 17 games for Dallas including 94 combined tackles, a pair of forced fumbles and four PBUs. All told, he’s played 48 games as a Cowboy with 142 tackles to his credit.

This past season, Bell was on the field for nearly 32% of the Cowboys defensive snaps. Additionally, he was on the field for nearly 63% of the team’s total plays on special teams.

As of this report, the Dallas Cowboys have not released a statement on Bell’s arrest. He’s set to enter his fifth season in the NFL in 2026.