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DaRon Bland #26 of the Dallas Cowboys

Certainly for a team with big plans this season like the Dallas Cowboys having a veteran like Adoree’ Jackson in place would be wise. Jackson came to visit The Star on Tuesday as his free agency presses forward, and given the fact that he played for defensive coordinator Christian Parker last season with the Eagles, when Parker was the defensive backs coach, he’d be a seamless fit in Dallas. Jackson left without signing a contract, but it’s something the team could circle back on.

It’s not likely that the Cowboys would press Jackson into action as a starter– Pro Football Focus rated him No. 92 out of 110 cornerbacks in the NFL last year–but Jackson could be a trustworthy depth piece who can give on-field tutelage during camp and practices.

But the fact that the Cowboys brought Jackson in for a visit does indicate that there are worries about the team’s roster depth among the defensive backs, and maybe a bigger problem looming in the near future: the health of star corner DaRon Bland.

DaRon Bland Has Had 2 Rough Seasons for Cowboys

Even if nothing was pressing, there would still be concerns about Bland’s health. Ever since his 2023 All-Pro breakout performance for the Cowboys in 2023, Bland has been bothered by persistent foot injuries that have either kept him off the field or limited his effectiveness when he is on it. Bland first suffered a left foot injury in training camp in 2024, coming off a season in which he pretty amazingly picked off nine passes and returned five for touchdowns.

He had surgery to fix that injury, returned for the final seven games and was a shell of himself, allowing quarterbacks a 105.3 passer rating when he was targeted, after allowing a 60.8 passer rating the previous season. He then had an injury to his right foot early in 2025, which cost him two weeks, before he returned.

Bland played 12 games for the Cowboys but was placed on injured reserve for the final three games of the season. He had another surgery on the foot in January.

Will DaRon Bland Be Ready?

Now, there is some concern for how ready Bland will be when the Cowboys start working out this offseason, and even for training camp in July. That worry is compounded by the angst around fellow corner Shavon Revel, who was the Cowboys’ third-round pick last year despite coming off a torn ACL. Revel did not play until Week 11 last season.

According to Clarence Hill, the veteran Cowboys reporter with DLLS Cowboys, Bland is the bigger concern than Revel.

Said Hill on “The DLLS Cowboys Podcast“: “I talked to somebody else who said the biggest worry for them would be Bland and more than Revel. … So we’ll see. You put all that stuff together, Adoree’ Jackson.”

Cowboys Concerned About Shavon Revel

As for Revel, he struggled, too, throughout last year even after the Cowboys  deemed him healthy enough to play. PFF, in fact, rated him the No. 112 cornerback in the league out of 112, which is not great. But in Revel’s defense, he was still gearing up after the rehab, and he was joining a secondary that was a mess and had zero leadership or organization.

The hope is that, with a the bulk of a year under his belt, with more confidence in his knee and better coaching this season, Revel can be a useful piece in the defense, and maybe even a starter.

Hill said Revel’s father had been hoping his son was taking it slow, even last year.

Said Hill: “Going back to training camp, he was like, I hope he don’t play for 10 weeks. That was going back to training camp when everybody was like, ‘He is going to be ready in four weeks.’ He was pumping the brakes way back then. … He is not in the brace. He is running well, he looks good, his number are fast and explosive. So, we’re hoping for the best.”