Dallas Cowboys All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland will miss the first six to eight weeks of the season because of a stress fracture in his left foot that will require surgery, the team announced Saturday.
The Cowboys said Bland experienced discomfort in the foot on Wednesday at training camp in Oxnard, Calif. An imaging test revealed the fracture, with surgery scheduled for Monday, according to an ESPN report.
Bland, 25, led the league with nine interceptions for 209 yards, including an NFL-record five picks returned for touchdowns, in 17 games (15 starts) last season. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro.
“The good news is he’ll be here for let’s say the vital games of the year,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said of Bland on the 105.3 The Fan in Dallas pregame show, according to ESPN.
Jones also said that the defensive back position is one of the strengths of the team.
“Our secondary is outstanding in personnel,” he said on the pregame show, according to ESPN.
Dallas is losing the services of one All-Pro while returning another in cornerback Trevon Diggs, who missed the last 15 games in 2023 with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Diggs has been a full participant for two weeks at training camp.
The Cowboys also have veterans Jourdan Lewis and Andrew Booth as well as rookie Caelen Carson at cornerback.
Dallas selected Bland in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Bland has 123 tackles, four tackles for loss, 22 passes defensed, 14 interceptions and five returned for touchdowns in 34 career games (23 starts).
The Cowboys open their season on Sept. 8 against the host Cleveland Browns.
–Field Level Media