DaRon Bland will miss the start of the Dallas Cowboys’ season this fall.
The cornerback suffered a stress fracture in his foot during training camp in Southern California earlier this week, the team announced before its final preseason game on Saturday. He will undergo surgery in the coming days and will be sidelined for up to eight weeks.
From the Cowboys: DaRon Bland suffered foot discomfort last Wednesday during training camp in Oxnard. Imaging afterward revealed a stress fracture in the foot. He will undergo surgery to repair the injury and is currently expected to be sidelined for 6-8 weeks.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) August 24, 2024
Under that timeline, Bland will miss at least the Cowboys’ first four games of the season. If he can return in as little as six weeks, he could be back on the field in time for the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 6.
Bland is entering his third season in the league this fall. The 25-year-old had a league-high nine interceptions last season with the Cowboys, five of which he returned for touchdowns. He also had a career-high 69 total tackles and helped keep the Dallas defense on track after star cornerback Trevon Diggs tore his ACL early last fall.
Diggs, who missed 15 games last season, returned to full-team drills in training camp and is on track to start the season. The Cowboys will likely lean on Jourdan Lewis and newcomers Caelen Carson and Andrew Booth to help make up for the lack of Bland to start the year.
The Cowboys went 12-5 last season and won the NFC East for the second time in the last three years. They were eliminated in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn left the Cowboys after last season to take over as head coach of the Washington Commanders, prompting Dallas to hire former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer to replace him.
The Cowboys will open the season against the Cleveland Browns on September 8.