Injury Roundup
Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl cornerback DaRon Bland is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks after needing surgery for a stress fracture in his foot.
Cowboys CB Daron Bland to undergo surgery to repair stress fracture in foot, will miss 6-8 weeks. pic.twitter.com/LUnkUMO4yy
— NFL (@NFL) August 24, 2024
Bland led the NFL in interceptions last season, registering nine. He also set the NFL record for most pick-sixes in a single season, with five total on the season.
Bland, for the most part, was able to hold his own after Cowboys star cornerback Trevon Diggs missed all season with a torn ACL. Diggs is expected to be ready to go for the start of this season however.
Who's up next?
Dallas will have to turn to their rookie Caelen Carson to fill Bland’s spot. Carson was drafted in the fifth-round of the draft, out of Wake Forest. He led Wake Forest in pass breakups as the teams top corner last season.
Andrew Booth Jr. may also see increased action. He was acquired from the Minnesota Vikings in a trade. At Minnesota, he appeared in every game last season, but did not receive a meaningful amount of play time.
Dallas did not re-sign Stephon Gillmore, even though he was an impactful player on the team last season. Gillmore decided to sign with the Vikings on a one-year contract.
Looking Ahead
The Cowboys will continue to be a competitor for the NFC East title and will try to get Bland to return as fast as possible. The rest of the team will be relatively healthy going into week one, but there are still some question marks swirling around their receiving core. Superstar Ceedee Lamb has not been practicing with the team all offseason as he is waiting for his contract, and Brandin Cooks has been out with a knee injury. If Dallas can solve these problems, they will look to gear up for another playoff run.
