Daron Bland, the Dallas Cowboys’ standout cornerback, is seeking second opinions for a long-term injury. After having sought a second opinion, he will have to go through another surgery. The 23-year-old made a name for himself last year when he led the Cowboys’ defense—his rookie defense—with a team-leading five picks. Now, he’s under the gun as his practice window closes this Saturday.
Bland’s injury history has been troubling. He missed ten games last season after having surgery on his fifth metatarsal in August 2024. Earlier this season, he missed two games after suffering a bruise on the top of his right foot. Despite these setbacks, Bland has had a remarkable year, boasting impressive statistics in the twelve games he has participated in this season. He is third on the team with 46 tackles, including two tackles for loss, three quarterback pressures, six pass breakups and one interception.
To judge from his extraordinary performance this year, Bland has been a deserving candidate for those honors. In that remarkable season he broke an NFL record when he returned five interceptions for touchdowns. On top of that, he led the league overall with nine interceptions in 2023. It’s no wonder his remarkable play during that stretch earned him the honors of first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler. Notably, he returned an interception 68 yards for a touchdown during a significant win against the Washington Commanders on October 19.
Bland only recently signed a four-year, $92 million contract extension with the Cowboys at training camp. This new contract includes a whopping $22 million signing bonus! This development shows just how much faith the Cowboys have in him after the injury issues have come up.
Since the unfortunate incident, Bland has not made any surgery appointments and is instead concentrating on getting better. He is now due to make a final decision after consultations with the medical community.
The Cowboys coaching staff is whatever the opposite of “sitting on pins and needles” is with Johnson’s progress. Matt Eberflus said about another guy’s practice success, “Diggs has showed up well in practice.” He continued, “Similarly, last week, we discussed the process and the preparation and the focus and all that stuff and consistency. That’s been better this week. But I’ve got to hand it to him this week so far, he’s been succeeding.
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