Bland (foot) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Falcons.
The third-year corner from Fresno State was activated from injured reserve Wednesday; however, it appears that his foot issue is still bothering him enough to miss the Cowboys' Week 9 contest. Bland's 2024 debut will have to wait at least one more week, with Andrew Booth and Caelen Carson expected to see increased work in the Cowboys' secondary in Bland's stead.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: DNP on Wednesday
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Bland (foot) did not practice Wednesday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Bland began the regular season on injured reserve due to a stress fracture in his left foot that he sustained during training camp. His 21-day practice window to return from IR opened Oct. 9, but despite Bland not being able to practice, the Cowboys activated the 2022 fifth-round pick from injured reserve Wednesday. Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Wednesday that Bland is working with the rehab group this week, which could mean that he will be sidelined for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Returns to 53-man roster
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Bland (foot) was activated from injured reserve Wednesday, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
Bland's move to the active roster comes as his 21-day window was set to close, as he was designated to return from IR on Oct. 9. However, according to Hill, the Fresno State product did not practice and was working with the rehab group, so it's not clear what his status is for Week 9 against the Falcons.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Not practicing after bye week
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Bland (foot) was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday's practice report.
Bland was designated for return from injured reserve Oct. 9, and he started his 21-day evaluation window with two straight full practices. However, he didn't participate in the Cowboys' final session of Week 6 and remains a spectator coming out of the team's Week 7 bye. Bland's continued absence from practice doesn't bode well for his chances of being activated from IR ahead of Sunday's game against the 49ers, but the Cowboys will wait and see if he's able to get in in any on field-work Thursday or Friday before ruling on his status. Bland has to be activated off IR before Oct. 30, otherwise the cornerback would be forced to sit out for the rest of the 2024 campaign.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Questionable for Sunday
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Bland (foot) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Lions, Patrik Walker of the Cowboys' official site reports.
Bland was designated to return from injured reserve Wednesday and logged two consecutive full practices. However, the All-Pro cornerback downgraded to a DNP on Friday, suggesting that he's trending in the wrong direction ahead of Sunday's contest. Bland still must be activated to Dallas' active roster in order to suit up in Week 6. If he's unable to go, expect Caelen Carson (shoulder) or C.J. Goodwin to line up opposite Trevon Diggs.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Returns without restriction
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Bland (foot) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice session, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Bland was placed on injured reserve at the conclusion of training camp due to a stress fracture in his left foot. Jon Machota of The Athletic reported Tuesday that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones doesn't expect Bland to play in Week 6 against the Lions. However, Bland's full participation in Wednesday's practice indicates that the 2022 fifth-round pick could make his regular-season debut Sunday, barring any setbacks. In 2023, Bland led the NFL with nine interceptions, and his five pick-sixes are an NFL single-season record.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Gets go-ahead to practice
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Dallas opened Bland's (foot) 21-day practice window to return from its injured reserve list Wednesday.
Bland has missed the first five games of the year as he's been recovering from a surgery he underwent before the regular season began, but it looks like he could finally be on his way back to action. If the Cowboys don't activate him within the next 21 days, however, he'd have to spend the rest of the year on their injured reserve list.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Placed on IR, can return
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The Cowboys placed Bland (foot) on injured reserve Tuesday, with a designation to return.
Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports that Bland had surgery on his foot Monday and is expected to be out 6-8 weeks, which suggest he'll be back at some point in October or early November. The 25-year-old had a remarkable 2023 campaign, setting a single-season record for pick-sixes (five) while leading the league with nine interceptions.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Out 6-to-8 weeks due to foot injury
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Bland was diagnosed Saturday with a stress fracture in his left foot that will require surgery, and he is expected to miss the next 6-to-8 weeks, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Bland first began experiencing foot discomfort last Wednesday and consequently underwent imaging. The tests revealed a stress fracture, and the surgery to repair the injury will likely keep him out of action until at least early October. Bland was set to start at cornerback this season after establishing an NFL record with five pick-sixes among his league-leading nine interceptions over 17 regular-season contests in his sophomore campaign in 2023. The 25-year-old will likely be replaced as a starter at the beginning of the season by either Caelen Carson or Andrew Booth.
Bland recorded three tackles (two solo) and intercepted his ninth pass of the season in Sunday's win over the Commanders.
The nine picks led the NFL, but Bland fell a little short in his quest to challenge the Cowboys' franchise record of 11, set by Everson Walls in 1981 and tied by Trevon Diggs (knee) in 2021. Diggs played only 98 snaps this season before needing surgery to repair a torn ACL, but he should be fully recovered to begin the 2024 campaign, giving Dallas two of the preeminent ballhawks in the league in its secondary.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Picks off another pass
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Bland tallied six tackles (five solo) and one interception in Thursday's 41-35 Week 13 win over Seattle.
Bland had a few deep passes completed against him, but he also picked off Geno Smith in the third quarter on a pass intended for Tyler Lockett. The interception was Bland's league-leading eighth of the campaign, five of which he's returned for a touchdown. He's recorded exactly one pickoff in each of his past four contests.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Breaks pick-six record Week 12
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Bland registered 10 tackles (seven solo) and returned an interception for a touchdown Thursday in a 45-10 victory versus Washington.
When Bland picked off Sam Howell and returned the ball 63 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, he became the single-season NFL record holder with five pick-sixes on the campaign. He also leads the league with seven total interceptions and has defensed six other passes for good measure. Considering his record-breaking campaign, Bland should receive some consideration for DPOY at the end of the regular season.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Ties NFL record in Week 11 win
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Bland recorded five tackles and an interception that he returned for a 30-yard touchdown in Sunday's 33-10 win over the Panthers.
The second-year cornerback was only a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but Bland has quickly emerged as the league's preeminent ballhawk. Sunday's pick-six was his fourth of the season, tying the NFL record last matched by the Eagles' Eric Allen in 1993, and he's also chipped in two other interceptions this season that he didn't manage to take back to the house. Those four touchdowns stand in contrast to the one score he's allowed in coverage on 42 pass attempts.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Nabs fifth pick of season
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Bland recorded four tackles (three solo) and an interception in Sunday's 49-17 rout of the Giants.
The Cowboys dominated play to such an extent Sunday that Bland's four tackles actually tied for the team lead, as the defense was simply never on the field until the fourth quarter, when the backups got some extra run. The second-year cornerback had five INTs through nine games in 2023 -- one back of league leader Geno Stone -- and an incredible 10 in his first 26 NFL games, and quarterbacks have completed an eye-popping 35.0 percent of pass attempts with Bland in coverage. The Fresno State product, taken with the 167th overall pick, has emerged as one of the steals of the 2022 draft.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Gets into end zone again
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Bland recorded four tackles (three solo) and three passes defended, including two interceptions, one of which he returned for a 54-yard touchdown, in Sunday's 38-3 rout of the Patriots.
Amazingly, Bland's pick-six against Mac Jones just before halftime was the Cowboys' second defensive TD of the second quarter, as well as being the cornerback's second touchdown of the season. Bland is quickly proving his aptitude for ball-hawking as a rookie was no fluke -- after grabbing five INTs in 17 games last season, he already has three in four games to begin 2023.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Returns INT to house in rout
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Bland recorded three tackles and returned an interception 22 yards for his first career NFL touchdown in Sunday's 40-0 win over the Giants.
After snagging five picks as a rookie last year, Bland quickly proved that performance was no fluke to kick off the 2023 campaign. With the Giants already reeling after seeing a field-goal attempt blocked and returned for a Noah Igbinoghene TD on their first possession, Trevon Diggs laid a big hit on Saquon Barkley after a short pass that caused the ball to pop into the air, and Bland swooped in to catch it and return it to the house. The Dallas defense looks like it could be a fantasy monster this season, but Bland should have some deep-league IDP value on his own.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Moves past injury Thursday
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Bland (chest) was not listed on the Cowboys' injury report Thursday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Bland was forced out with a chest injury during Dallas' regular-season finale against the Commanders. However, the rookie cornerback appears to have quickly overcome this issue since then, so he should be ready to play in Monday's wild-card game against Tampa Bay.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Nabs another interception
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Bland recorded six tackles (four solo) and two passes defended, including his fourth interception of the season, in Sunday's overtime loss to the Jaguars.
The rookie fifth-round pick has proven to be an absolute steal in Dan Quinn's defense, and Bland's role in an injury-riddled secondary has grown as the season has worn on. Three of Bland's four INTs have come in the last three games, along with 20 of his 40 tackles on the year, and he could be a real IDP asset over the final few weeks.
