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Daron Bland #26 of the Dallas Cowboys

Much has been made of the Dallas Cowboys‘ attempts to overhaul their defensive roster in recent months, with six of the eight players the team drafted coming on the defensive side of the ball, and nearly all their top free-agent signings  and trades being used to acquire defenders like Jalen Thompson and Rashan Gary. But one of the most important players on defense, and a guy who could have a lot of say in just how much the unit can improve in the coming season, is a returning star who has had a hard time of late: cornerback  DaRon Bland.

Bland first suffered a left foot injury in training camp in 2024, after he had earned an All-Pro spot for his spectacular showing in 2023, when he picked off nine passes, and returned a record five of them for touchdowns. But the injury has knocked Bland back in the last two years.

The hope is that after another foot surgery, Bland’s struggles will be behind him, though as we have seen, if the foot is not 100%, he is going to have problems. He only played 19 games in the past two seasons, but struggled even when he was on the field. Bland allowed a passer rating of 105.7 in 2024 and 103.3 last year, up from 60.8 when he was an All-Pro.

DaRon Bland ‘Looks Great’

The Cowboys have gone through OTAs and now are in the midst of minicamp, and Bland has yet to do much as he is still recovering from the surgery. His return will be critical–the Cowboys are not especially deep at cornerback, and Bland at his best is one of the top options in the league.

Coach Brian Schottenheimer said, when OTAs opened earlier this month, that the intention was to be “pretty smart” with allowing Bland to come back in his own time, though the expectation is that he will be ready for training camp at the end of July.

On Tuesday, as the Cowboys began their first day of mandatory minicamp at The Star, Schottenheimer had a positive outlook on Bland’s condition. “DaRon Bland,” he said, “looks great.”

Cowboys Looking Ahead to Down Time

The Cowboys did hold out several players from the minicamp, allowing them to participate in individual drills or keeping them out altogether. That includes quarterback Dak Prescott, who has fluid on his knee but is not expected to miss training camp. Safeties Thompson and Malik Hooker, too, were held out for precautionary reasons, and George Pickens was limited having not participated in OTAs.

The Cowboys hope to get these three days with the players, then send them on their way until it is time to report to Oxnard for training camp. The trick will be to ensure they keep up on information as the down time proceeds.

Said Schottenheimer: “Part of the deal is, No. 1, we want these guys to get away a little bit, you’ve got to recharge, it is a long season. I think that’s good for all of us. The iPads that they have have all that information on it. These guys have a really good plan, they understand, they’re going to hear the same install in training camp Day One, of OTA Day One, and so on and so on. I think that’s important.

“More than anything, it is just the coaches check in on these guys throughout the deal. Why? We’re not checking up on them, we care about them, we want to see where they are, how they’re doing. … But they’re pros.”