One of Dallas' top defenders isn't going to be taking the field anytime soon.
Cowboys All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland is headed toward surgery and expected to be out six to eight weeks after sustaining a stress fracture in his foot, Dallas announced on Saturday.
Bland experienced foot discomfort on Wednesday, and subsequent imaging revealed the fracture, the Cowboys said in a statement.
A 2022 fifth-round pick, Bland proved himself as a game-changing ballhawk in his first two NFL seasons, snagging 14 interceptions from 2022-23, including a league-best nine interceptions (five of which he returned for touchdowns to set an NFL record) last year. Bland, who was an All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection last year, also posted 15 passes defensed and 69 tackles in 2023, helping the Cowboys fill the massive void left by Trevon Diggs, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear in late September.
Dallas expected to start 2024 with Diggs and Bland as their top two corners, declining to pursue another year with veteran Stephon Gilmore, who signed with Minnesota on Sunday. The Cowboys will now have to look down their depth chart for a replacement. Fifth-round pick Caelen Carson is listed behind Bland, and former Vikings corner Andrew Booth -- whom Dallas acquired via trade in early August -- has stood out in preseason action, perhaps building enough of a case to contend for the job.
Regardless of replacement, Friday's news is nightmarish for Dallas, which lacks the depth needed to simply replace a player of Bland's caliber. We'll see if a corresponding move awaits, or if the Cowboys will continue to stand pat after an unusually quiet offseason.