Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Makes seven stops vs. Broncos
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Bland recorded seven tackles (three solo) during Dallas' loss to Denver on Sunday.
Bland has now racked up five or more tackles in all but one of his last five regular-season appearances. The every-down cornerback will work to keep up his momentum at home against the Cardinals on Monday Night Football in Week 9. Across six regular-season appearances on the year, Bland has tallied 32 tackles (22 solo) and one pass defensed, a pick-six he recorded Week 7 versus Washington.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Gets back into end zone Sunday
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Bland recorded seven tackles (five solo) and returned an interception 68 yards for a touchdown in Sunday's win over the Commanders.
With the Cowboys already ahead 34-15 in the third quarter and Jayden Daniels (hamstring) out of the game, Bland stepped in front of a desperation toss into the flat by Marcus Mariota and took it to the house. It was the 15th career INT and the sixth career pick-six for Bland after his NFL-record five in 2023, and the surest sign yet that the fourth-year cornerback is fully healthy after batting a foot injury last season and a shoulder issue to begin 2025.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Questionable to play Week 6
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Bland (shoulder) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Panthers, Clarence Hill Jr. of AllDLLS.com reports.
Bland has been limited in practice all week due to a shoulder injury that he likely picked up during the Cowboys' Week 5 win over the Jets. Bland and Trevon Diggs (knee) are both listed as questionable for Sunday's contest, and their absences would open the door for more snaps at outside corner for Kaiir Elam, Trikweze Bridges and C.J. Goodwin.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Remains limited Thursday
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Bland (shoulder) logged a limited practice Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Bland has now opened the week with back-to-back limited practices due to an apparent shoulder injury, which he likely sustained in the team's Week 5 win over the Jets. The cornerback will have one more chance to log a full practice Friday before Sunday's contest against the Panthers.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Past foot injury
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Bland (foot) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Bland is on track to return from a two-game absence due to a foot sprain that he suffered in practice ahead of the Cowboys' Week 2 clash against the Giants. The Cowboys' secondary appears to be getting healthier with Bland, Trevon Diggs (knee), and rookie seventh-rounder Trikweze Bridges (knee) all trending towards playing Sunday against the Packers.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Opens week with limited practice
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Bland (foot) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
A foot injury has prevented Bland from playing in the Cowboys' last two games, but Todd Archer of ESPN.com relayed Tuesday that the 2022 fifth-rounder is trending toward a Week 4 return against the Packers. Bland will have two more opportunities to upgrade to a full practice participant heading into Sunday's tilt.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Out for Week 3
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Bland (foot) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Bears, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Bland didn't practice at all this week and will miss his second straight game after he was injured in practice last week. Kaiir Elam and Reddy Steward are in line to see increased reps in the secondary for the second straight week.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Ruled out for Week 2
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Bland (foot) won't play Sunday against the Giants, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Friday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Bland is viewed as week-to-week due to a foot sprain, so it's not surprising that he'll miss at least one game due to the injury. Schottenheimer noted that the Cowboys will use safeties to help out in Bland's usual nickel cornerback role, which could mean more playing time for reserve safeties Juanyeh Thomas and Markquese Bell in Dallas' depleted secondary.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Three tackles in Week 1
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Bland recorded three tackles in Thursday's 24-20 loss to the Eagles.
Bland was one of five Cowboys defenders to play 100 percent of the defensive snaps. Bland nearly evenly split his work between the slot and a traditional wide corner alignment, while Trevon Diggs was in a part-time role as he ramps up from a knee injury. Bland should retain a full snap count even once Diggs is fully back in the mix, potentially playing even more often in the slot.
Bland and the Cowboys have agreed to a four-year, $92 million contract extension that includes $50 million in guaranteed money, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Though a foot injury limited Bland to only seven games last season, considerable shine remains from his historic 2023 campaign during which he registered an NFL record five pick-sixes among his nine interceptions. Bland will now likely be a Cowboy for the considerable future, and the $23 million average annual salary on the extension makes him the sixth-highest-paid cornerback in the league, per Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Practicing again
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Bland (personal) returned to Dallas' practice Monday, Todd Archer of ESPN reports
Bland missed the start of training camp to attend the birth of his son but is now back with the Cowboys. The 26-year-old did not go through team drills during Monday's session but should be a full participant within the coming days.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Secures 41 tackles in limited year
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Bland finished the 2024 season with 41 tackles (29 solo), five passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery across seven games.
Bland was limited to just seven games in 2024 due to a foot injury, registering 41 stops, his lowest total in three seasons with the Cowboys. Additionally, after recording 14 interceptions between his first two seasons in the NFL, Bland was unable to secure an interception this season. The cornerback will look to get back on track in 2025, likely starting opposite of Trevon Diggs (knee) again in the Cowboys' secondary.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Six tackles against Philadelphia
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Bland registered six tackles (four solo) and one pass defense during Sunday's 41-7 loss to the Eagles.
It was a rough day defensively for the Cowboys, but Bland managed to finish tied with Andrew Booth for the third-most tackles on Dallas behind Malik Hooker and Eric Kendricks (nine each). Bland has logged at least five tackles in five of six games and is up to 34 tackles (22 solo), five pass defenses, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Bland appears to be fully recovered from the stress fracture in his left foot that forced him to miss the first 10 games of the regular season. He'll try to register his first interception of the year against the Commanders on Sunday.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Makes game-clinching turnover
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Bland registered eight tackles (seven solo), one pass defense, and recovered a fumble that he forced in Sunday's 26-24 win over Tampa Bay.
Bland made the play of the game late in the fourth quarter, when he ripped the ball out of Rachaad White's hands with 1:40 left in the fourth quarter, which allowed the Cowboys to kneel out the clock and secure the victory. Bland has played every single defensive snap over the Cowboys' last three games, and in the five games since being activated off IR due to a foot injury, he has registered 28 tackles (18 solo), four pass defenses, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Making 2024 debut in Week 12
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Bland (foot) has no injury designation ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Commanders, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Bland practiced in full all week and is now in line to make his 2024 debut Sunday after missing Dallas' first 10 games this season due to a foot injury sustained in late August. The third-year corner from Fresno State earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2023, recording 69 total tackles and 15 passes defended, including nine interceptions (and five pick-sixes) across 17 regular-season games. If Trevon Diggs (groin/knee) is able to suit up in Week 12, the Cowboys will have their top outside cornerback duo for the first time this season.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Could return for Week 12
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Bland (foot) was listed as a full participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
Up until Wednesday, Bland had not been able to participate in practice since his 21-day window to return from injured reserve opened Oct. 30. Granted, Wednesday's session was a walkthrough as the Cowboys played Monday night, but if Bland is able to practice in at least a limited capacity Thursday and Friday, he would be in a good spot to make his 2024 regular-season debut against the Commanders on Sunday.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Missing another week
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Bland (foot) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Eagles, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Bland has yet to practice since being activated to the Cowboys' active roster Oct. 30 as he continues to recover from a stress fracture in his left foot. Caelen Carson and C.J. Goodwin will likely continue seeing increased work with the Cowboys' first-team secondary until Bland can return to the field.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Has yet to return to practice
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Bland (foot) was listed as a DNP on the Cowboys' injury report Wednesday, Joe Hoyt of AllDLLS.com reports.
Although Bland was activated off injured reserve Oct. 30, he has yet to return to practice while recovering from a stress fracture in his left foot that he sustained in training camp. Even if he's able to practice in a limited capacity this week, it appears the 2022 fifth-round pick is unlikely to play against the Eagles on Sunday.
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Cowboys' DaRon Bland: Won't play Sunday
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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: 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.
