The Dallas Cowboys will start the regular season without All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland, who will have surgery for a stress fracture in his foot, the team announced Saturday. Bland is expected to miss six to eight weeks.
The 25-year-old is entering his third season with the Cowboys, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2022 draft. Bland played in all 17 regular-season games in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Last year, he led the league in interceptions (nine), interception return yards (209) and non-offensive touchdowns (five). Bland capped off his breakout season by earning his first Pro Bowl selection and first team All-Pro honors.
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There’s no denying Bland’s absence is a huge loss for Dallas. He has quickly become one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks. The Cowboys have an outstanding starter in Trevon Diggs and a good inside corner in Jourdan Lewis. But there are now some big questions at the other starting outside corner spot.
Rookie Caelen Carson has looked good in camp, but is he ready to start? A name to know here is veteran defensive back Israel Mukuamu. He has been working at safety, but he can play corner and has performed well in camp. Dallas will also look at other rosters as teams trim down to their 53-man roster.
With roster cutdown day looming Tuesday, Bland will be a strong candidate for the Cowboys to apply a new rule regarding injuries. Previously, a player would have to be on the initial 53-man roster before he could be placed on injured reserve with the designation to return during the season.
Now, teams can place two players on IR with the possibility of returning without having to accommodate the roster requirement first. With Bland’s timeline of being out six to eight weeks, the window could work perfectly because he will almost certainly miss the first four games of the regular season.
Dallas only had one candidate for that rule in left tackle Chuma Edoga but Bland could join the list.
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(Photo: Kevin Jairaj / USA Today)
