Cowboys safety Markquese Bell is facing multiple drug charges following his arrest in a Dallas suburb Friday.
Bell, 27, was arrested in Prosper, Texas, on a felony count of possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of marijuana possession, according to the Collin County Sheriff’s Office.
Further details of the arrest were not immediately available and the Cowboys have not released a statement.
Bell played in all 17 games for Dallas last season with three starts, recording 41 tackles, one forced fumble and his first career interception. He was expected to compete for a larger role this season.
Bell, who signed a three-year contract extension worth up to $12 million in March 2025, faces a possible league suspension after the arrest. He carries a cap hit of $2.833 million for the 2026 season.
Undrafted out of Florida A&M in 2022, Bell has recorded 142 tackles, seven passes defensed and three forced fumbles in 48 career games (11 starts) for the Cowboys.
Falcons pick up option for Robinson
The Atlanta Falcons exercised their fifth-year option for All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson for the 2027 season on Friday.
Robinson, 24, is coming off a stellar third season with the Falcons in 2025 when he set the franchise mark with 2,298 total yards from scrimmage, which led the NFL. He rushed for 1,478 yards and seven touchdowns, including a league-long 93-yarder, and caught 79 passes for 820 yards and four TDs.
He will earn $11.323 million in base salary in 2027, the club’s option year, according to Spotrac. Robinson signed a four-year, $21.9 million contract as a rookie in 2023 which in 2026 will pay him a base salary of $1.1 million, a prorated signing bonus of $3.2 million and a roster bonus of $2.6 million with a cap hit of $6,986,809, per Spotrac.
Robinson was voted to the Pro Bowl the last two seasons, was first-team All- Pro in 2025 and was named to the NFL All-Rookie team in 2023.
Atlanta selected Robinson with the eighth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Texas.
He has 805 career rushing attempts for 3,910 yards and 25 TDs, and 198 receptions for 1,738 yards and nine TDs in 51 games (50 starts).
NFLPA loses collusion appeal
A three-person appeals panel has ruled against the NFL Players Association, which contended an arbitrator incorrectly ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to prove collusion when negotiating quarterback contracts in 2022.
The ruling, handed down Friday, upheld the January 2025 decision by arbitrator Christopher Droney in a case that focused on whether teams participated in a collusion plot while in negotiations with NFL players, but specifically with Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson.
In its ruling, the panel acknowledged the NFL was “improper” in inviting teams to “participate in collusion.” However, the panel said it had not been proved by the evidence that some or all of the teams actually followed through with collusion.
The NFLPA has argued that the five-year $230 million, fully guaranteed contract given to Deshaun Watson in March 2022 by the Cleveland Browns was the impetus needed for owners to collude and that none of the three quarterbacks in question received similar guarantees.
Murray, now with the Minnesota Vikings, signed a five-year, $230.5 million extension with the Arizona Cardinals on July 21, 2022, with $159 million guaranteed.
Jackson, the MVP-winning quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens, inked a five-year, $260 million extension on April 27, 2023. The contract includes $185 million in guarantees.
The Denver Broncos acquired Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks and signed him to a five-year, $242.5 million extension, with $161 million guaranteed, on Sept. 1, 2022. After two subpar seasons, the Broncos released him, and he subsequently signed one-year contracts with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants.
All of those contract figures come from Spotrac, which also lists Wilson’s career earnings at about $316 million – fourth all-time in the NFL.
Amid allegations of sexual improprieties with more than 20 massage therapists who filed suit against him, Watson got his wish to be traded by the Houston Texans. On March 18, 2022, the Texans sent Watson and a future fifth-round draft pick to the Browns for a package of three first-round draft picks, a third-round selection and a fourth-rounder.
Watson is entering the final season of the contract and will become a free agent at the end the league year. The Browns have reworked the deal several times to give them salary cap wiggle room, but he still will wind up with the full amount.
Because of suspension and injuries, Watson, 30, has appeared in just 19 games over four seasons with the Browns and has a 9-10 record. With those seasons worth $184 million, he has earned nearly $9.7 million per game.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: NFL roundup: Cowboys safety Markquese Bell facing felony drug charge
Reporting by Field Level Media, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
