DaRon Bland will miss the start of the Dallas Cowboys’ season this fall.
The cornerback suffered a stress fracture in his foot during training camp in Southern California earlier this week, the team announced ahead of its final preseason game Saturday. He is expected to undergo surgery in the coming days and will be sidelined for eight weeks.
Cowboys: DaRon Bland felt discomfort in his foot last Wednesday during training camp in Oxnard. Subsequent imaging revealed a stress fracture in his foot. He will undergo surgery to repair the injury and is expected to be out for 6-8 weeks.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) August 24, 2024
Under that timetable, Bland will miss at least the Cowboys’ first four games of the season. If he’s able to return in just six weeks, he could be back on the field in time for their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 6.
Bland is entering his third season in the league this fall. The 25-year-old had a league-high nine interceptions last season with the Cowboys, including five he returned for touchdowns. He also had a career-high 69 tackles and helped keep Dallas’ defense on track after star cornerback Trevon Diggs tore his ACL early last fall.
Diggs, who missed 15 games last season, returned to full-squad workouts in training camp this fall and is on track to start the season. The Cowboys will likely lean on Jourdan Lewis and newcomers Caelen Carson and Andrew Booth to help them pick up the slack without Bland to start the year.
The Cowboys finished 12-5 last season and won the NFC East for the second time in the last three years. They were eliminated in the playoffs. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn left the Cowboys after last season to take over as head coach of the Washington Commanders, leading Dallas to hire former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer to replace him.
The Cowboys will open the season against the Cleveland Browns on September 8.
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