The Incredible Journey of Camp Sensation Quinton Bell

Edge defender Quinton Bell has been one of the best performers at Miami Dolphins training camp this summer, but it's been a long road to get to this point, one that has featured detour after detour.

Bell has been signed, released or transferred to and from the practice squad on 24 different occasions. They all occurred within the last three seasons. He has bounced around between the Las Vegas Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles and since last October, the Dolphins.

Until now, the biggest thing he was known for was he was the guy who played the role of Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Maxx Crosby on the scout team last season and got some good tube time for it on "Hard Knock."

But that could be about to change for Bell, whose play in camp has been good enough that he's listed first on the depth chart at one of the outside linebacker spots — yes, that's because Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb are out, but it's impressive nonetheless.

“I feel like my whole career, starting in college, has just been a grind. ‘Get it out the mud,’ as we say, and going through that has just made me stronger," Bell said after practice Monday. "It’s made me stronger; it’s made me work even harder. I love when people tell me, ‘I can’t.’ I love when people tell me ‘No,’ because I’ve always known what I’m about and I’ve always known my skill set and what I can be."

THE CALL THAT CHANGED BELL'S LIFE

Bell started out as a wide receiver at little-known Prairie A&M University. One day he was taking a nap and the phone woke him. That phone call from coach Todd Middleton might have changed his entire life for the better.

"He was the one who basically called me. I was taking a nap in my dorm room one day and he called me and said, ‘Hey man, come in and talk to me.’ He said, ‘I want you to come edge rush,’ and really at the time it was a crazy request," Bell said. "I was a receiver, I was about 215 (pounds), lanky. But he started talking to me about opportunity, he started talking about the NFL and ultimately, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made to this day, for sure.”

Bell has been the biggest surprise of training camp. He went from being the guy nobody knew, to the guy that everyone has been asking about. He is the guy who was wearing the orange jersey (emblematic of the top performer the previous day) at practice Monday.

“I’m definitely getting a lot of great reviews, great reviews from my peers and people gaining respect and gaining that trust. I just feel like I’ve been flying around," Bell said. “It’s all my hard work. It’s always a wonderful feeling when feel like you’re coming out here and grinding every day, trying to get better and just leaving it all out there and that work is being noticed and appreciated."

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has certainly taken notice. That is why Bell was wearing the orange jersey which is awarded to the player that has the best practice the day before.

"Here's a guy that comes to work every day with no excuses. He doesn't tally how many opportunities he gets; he makes the most of the ones that he does get," McDaniel said. "And because of that, when you have that type of mindset, you get more and more opportunities. So at a cool spot in his career."

Bell does not believe being honored with the orange jersey is the pinnacle of his success. He wants to continue to grow as a player. He wants to be the type of player that people can count on. He wants a job.

"It only makes you want to go harder, so I come out here every day. That orange jersey is only the beginning," Bell said. "I want to continue to stack these days, continue to get better, continue to gain trust with these coaches, that’s my main goal.”