Getty Dallas Cowboys defender and Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert battle down the field.
The Dallas Cowboys dropped to 5-3 last Sunday, and now one of their starters is being called out for injuring Philadelphia Eagles TE Dallas Goedert. Goedert will miss multiple weeks because of the tackle, although it’s not exactly a open-and-shut case on if the tackle was dirty.
Late in the game, Goedert was streaking down the sideline with Cowboys LB Markquese Bell in coverage. As Goedert caught the pass and went to stiff arm, Bell went to bring him down and caught his arm in the process, as the video shows below.
Was Marquese Bell’s tackle of Dallas Goedert, which resulted in a fractured forearm a dirty play? Clear twist of the arm but Goedert did stiff arm him.
This angle of the play is reigniting a whole discussion on Bell’s tackle. But certain Eagles and national NFL fans are convinced that it was deliberate. Sporting News writer Sloan Piva referred to Bell as a “scumbag” for the tackle.
Elsewhere, Philly fans are emphasizing the “twist” of the arm, like @KBeckEagles.
So this is how we play ball, @dallascowboys? It’s one thing to grab his arm to pull him down — it’s another to very clearly twist it… This is some weak shit, @MarkqueseB,” the fan wrote.
@MonolithicFilm called on the Eagles to ask the NFL to reprimand Bell.
“Yeah, it was a dirty play and someone from the @eagles needs to hound the @NFL and the @nflcommish until they do something about it.”
Bell Loses to Dallas Goedert, But Learning New Role
It’s never easy to switch positions in football. It’s even harder in the NFL. But the Cowboys have asked Bell to make the move to linebacker this season, and it’s working out fairly well despite him giving up the aforementioned catch to Dallas Goedert.
The Cowboys needed additional depth at linebacker and chose Bell to make the move. He has primarily played safety and in the secondary over his career, but his athleticism and 6’3″, 205-pound frame made him an ideal prospect to make the move.
For his first NFL season as a LB, he’s doing fairly well. PFR shows that Bell has 41 tackles, one forced fumble and a pass defended this year. Dallas is also trusting him more, as he was named the starting LB in the last three contests.
Interestingly enough, the major weak spot of his game right now is in coverage. Despite his secondary experience, he is allowing a completion rate of 83.3%. The hope for the Cowboys is that he will get used to defending the pass as a linebacker sooner rather than later.
Cowboys Unsure of LB’s Return
While Bell learns the ropes, Leighton Vander Esch is still recovering. The veteran Cowboys linebacker has been on injured reserve with a neck injury. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be back with Dallas soon.
“That’s still a question mark as to when or will [Leighton Vander Esch] come back this year,” Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones said to 105.3 The Fan on November 6. “I think that’s a work in progress. But it certainly won’t be this week, or for that matter, probably (not) in the next couple weeks.”
Dallas had one of his best seasons of his NFL career in 2022. He had 54 solo tackles the most since his breakout rookie season in 2018. Now, the Cowboys aren’t even certain that he’ll be able to play at all down the stretch.