Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Falcons Roster Cuts: Making the Case for Quinton Bell
The Atlanta Falcons wrapped up the preseason with a 28-12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday.
The conclusion of the exhibition contests means two things; one, the regular season is close, and two, cutdown day for rosters is even closer.
While several players have already confirmed roster spots for the season, there are plenty firmly on the roster bubble, including outside linebacker Quinton Bell, a preseason standout.
Bell's path to the roster bubble in Atlanta has been adventurous, to say the least. The 6-4, 253-pounder played receiver for three seasons at Prairie View A&M before making the near-unheard of transition to the defensive front seven for his senior campaign.
Largely an unknown entering the year, Bell earned second-team all-conference honors after posting 8.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. At his pro day, Bell ran a 4.53 40-yard dash at 238 pounds, opening the eyes of some, but not all.
That "some" would be the personnel department of the Las Vegas Raiders, as general manager Mike Mayock took a shot in the dark on Bell with the No. 238 overall pick in the draft.
However, word of Bell's ability didn't spread to all. NFL Network has a yearly tradition as part of its draft coverage in which fans submit the scarcest names and schools of draft prospects imaginable. Dubbed "Stump the Truck," the object is to see whether or not the network has college highlights of the player mentioned.
Typically, the truck wins. But in this case, Mayock took the trophy with the selection of Bell; an all-conference nominee and seventh-round draft picks had no documented highlights by the NFL's premiere television network.
The takeaway? Bell was an obscure player. After all, he went from receiver convert to NFL draft pick at outside linebacker in just over a year.
His stay with the Raiders didn't last long, as the team cut him before the start of the 2019 season. He re-signed to Las Vegas' practice squad but was released six weeks later.
From there, Bell signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, one of Atlanta's division rivals. He spent the remainder of 2019 and all of 2020 in Tampa Bay, including seeing action in five games on special teams during his second season.
Entering 2021 aiming to carve out a niche, things didn't go as planned for Bell, who was cut by Tampa Bay in the latter portion of August. His trials and tribulations led him to Atlanta's practice squad, where he spent the entirety of the season.
After signing a reserves/futures contract in January to remain with the Falcons, Bell has had a strong preseason, capped off by a blocked punt in the finale against Jacksonville.
Long and athletic, the 26-year-old Bell has upside as an edge defender but can really impact games on special teams. Better yet, he's fully aware that fourth downs and kick coverage can keep him active on Sundays.
"Got to get it," Bell said when discussing his pre-snap mindset. "Effort, effort, effort. Special teams is a great way to make the roster and I'm taking full advantage of the opportunity. (Special teams) coach Marquice (Williams) put me in the right positions man, I'm just going hard ... This a great way to stay in the league for a long time."
Bell is firmly behind Adetokunbo Ogundeji, Lorenzo Carter, Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone in Atlanta's outside linebacker's room. The question now becomes how many edge defenders the team chooses to keep, and whether or not Bell's high-impact potential on special teams is enough to make the cut.
Despite making the switch from offense to defense, Bell has found that his niche comes in the game's all-important third phase. Now after being sent packing four times, he's ready to make a home in Atlanta, with the big decision coming by 4 p.m. Tuesday.
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