FRISCO, Texas — It’s been one step forward, two steps back for Dallas Cowboys first-team All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland as he recovers from a stress fracture in his foot that occurred during the final week of training camp.
Bland, who led the NFL with nine interceptions in 2023 setting an NFL single-season record for pick-sixes (five), appeared to be close to returning in Week 6 against the Detroit Lions. He practiced fully on both Wednesday and Thursday that week before being ruled out.
He returned to fully participate in non-walk practice for the first time since that week on Thursday, and he noticed a legitimate difference between how his foot feels now versus a few weeks ago.
“It’s good just to be at practice again. It felt good just to be back out there practicing and feeling good on the foot,” Bland said. “Yes, [it’s] responding better, but I definitely feel more confident about it. … I was always really frustrated in general with it just because it was my first injury. So just being out for so long, and it took a little toll on me, so I got a little frustrated.”
When the injury occurred in August, it was anticipated that Bland would be back on the field by this point in the season. Despite the longer-than-expected recovery time, Bland insisted he had no “setback” with his return-to-play efforts.
“No, I wouldn’t call it that,” Bland said when asked if he had a setback. “Just trying to get more comfortable and try just the feel of it. Honestly, I kind of couldn’t tell how long it was going to last. I was just hoping it would get better. Just waiting to get back. out there.”
Bland doesn’t see himself dealing with any rust despite not playing in a game since the Cowboys’ postseason loss to the Packers in January. Lining up next to Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs and steady nickel corner Jourdan Lewis probably instills that confidence a little.
“Even just putting the helmet back on just felt good. I’m a guy who can’t sit still for too long,” Bland said. “It was definitely tough, especially being on the sidelines, watching from home and just not being able to do the things that I usually do out there for my guys.”
However, maintaining his cardio and stamina while dealing with a foot injury challenged his ability to stiff-arm the rust factor.
“You try to do things to not fully weigh it, so kind of [stationary bikes]water exercises and the like.”
Whether Bland has recovered enough to make his season debut for the 3-7 Cowboys on Sunday against the Washington Commanders remains to be seen.
“I can’t say yet,” Bland said.
The determining factor for Bland to come back consistently is feeling good, something that has not been easy during his recovery process.
“It’s been kind of ups and downs with that because some days I’m like, ‘oh, I got it,’ and then the next day, it’s like, ‘okay, it’s getting a little worse.’ Most of the time it feels okay,” Bland said.
If Bland plays, he will have an “interesting” matchup with Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, his defensive coordinator for his first two seasons in Dallas. Bland admitted that he still misses Quinn and his energy.
“They are [Washington] different with the special offense [with quarterback Jayden Daniels]but Dan Quinn is there too. So he knows the type of guy I am in there, so it’s going to be very interesting,” Bland said. “He’s a guy who drafted me on defense, so coming in, learning the game from him. It was a big deal for me. As a coach, he takes it to another level. He’s not just trying to be your coach. He’s trying to be a mentor, your brother. So someone who tries to be there for you whenever.”
Whenever he returns, Bland looks to recapture his first-team All-Pro level game that he established last season.
“Just trying to keep up my level of play out there,” Bland said with a smile.
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