The Cowboys are digging into their defensive depth again, and this time Brian Schottenheimer is putting real trust in two players who are about to be asked for a lot more.
Dallas has been hit hard in the secondary. Malik Hooker went down in Week 1 with a fractured forearm, and this past Sunday the injury list grew when P.J.
Locke suffered a torn plantar fascia and Cobie Durant was injured by friendly fire in the win over the Washington Commanders. With both now out, the Cowboys are turning to veteran safety Markquese Bell and second-year cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. to step into starting roles.
On Thursday, Schottenheimer said he feels good about both of them.
"Quese has been around a long time. He's attacking this the exact right way that you would expect. It's good because the plan for us is easier because we can put those guys in spots, Nick, where we're featuring what they do really, really well," Schottenheimer said via Nick Harris.
He added, "I thought both guys having played and getting that experience last week was good, but it'll definitely be different. We're not going to play perfect. We're not going to coach perfect, but at the end of the day, we feel really good about the plan and both those guys' preparation."
Bell has been around this defense for a while now. He’s in his fifth season with Dallas, and his role has changed plenty along the way.
After appearing in only five games as a rookie in 2022, he moved into a hybrid safety-linebacker job under Dan Quinn in 2023 and played in all 17 games with eight starts. That season, Bell posted 94 tackles, three tackles for loss, four pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.
His usage has been lighter under Mike Zimmer and Matt Eberflus, but the door is open again now under Christian Parker. Bell has appeared in 50 games with 11 starts overall, and that experience is a big reason Schottenheimer is comfortable handing him a larger role.
Revel’s path has been different, but the Cowboys have seen enough to believe he can handle the moment. He was one of the team’s top performers in camp throughout the offseason. As a rookie, he didn’t show much explosiveness while still recovering from ACL surgery, but this year, with the brace gone, he has looked far more confident in his knee.
Through two games this season, Revel has four tackles, one pass breakup, and a fumble recovery. Now he’ll get a bigger test, and a chance to build on the momentum he created in training camp once the real games started.
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