DaRon Bland will be unavailable for the start of the Dallas Cowboys’ season this fall.
The cornerback sustained a stress fracture in his foot during training camp in Southern California earlier this week, the team announced ahead of their final preseason game on Saturday. Bland is scheduled to undergo surgery in the coming days and will be sidelined for up to eight weeks.
With this recovery timeline, Bland is expected to miss at least the first four games of the season. If his recovery is quicker than anticipated, he might return in time for the Cowboys’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 6.
Entering his third NFL season, Bland, 25, had a standout performance last year with the Cowboys, recording a league-high nine interceptions, five of which he returned for touchdowns.
Dallas Cowboys’ Daron Bland (Photo: NFL)
He also achieved a career-high 69 total tackles, playing a crucial role in the Dallas defense after star cornerback Trevon Diggs tore his ACL early in the previous season.
Diggs, who missed 15 games last season, has returned to full team drills at training camp and is expected to start the season. In Bland’s absence, the Cowboys will likely rely on Jourdan Lewis and newcomers Caelen Carson and Andrew Booth to help fill the void.
The Cowboys finished the 2023 season with a 12-5 record and won the NFC East for the second time in three years, though they were eliminated in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
After defensive coordinator Dan Quinn left to become the head coach of the Washington Commanders, the Cowboys hired former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer as his replacement. The Cowboys will kick off their season against the Cleveland Browns on September 8.
