Cowboys All-Pro DaRon Bland to undergo surgery; miss significant time

The Dallas Cowboys just announced that DaRon Bland will miss up to two months due to a stress fracture in his foot.

Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Ahead of the Dallas Cowboys preseason finale with the Los Angeles Chargers, some major news was announced.

Star cornerback DaRon Bland, who had nine interceptions in 2023, will miss six-to-eight weeks due to a stress fracture in his foot. The team said he will undergo surgery to repair the fracture.

#Cowboys All-Pro CB DaRon Bland will undergo surgery for a stress fracture in his foot and is out six to eight weeks, the team said.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 24, 2024

Bland set the NFL record with five interception returns for a touchdown in 2023 and now has 14 picks in his first two seasons. He was expected to be leaned on heavily to kick off the year since Trevon Diggs is still working his way back from an ACL tear suffered in Week 3.

MORE: Could NFL preseason finale be Deuce Vaughn's Cowboys swansong?

Dallas is fortunate to have a couple of players they believe in behind Bland. Rookie Caelen Carson has been one of the main standouts during camp and earned first team reps while Diggs was out. They also added Andrew Booth in a trade with Minnesota ahead of their preseason opener.

One thing they won't be able to do is reach out to Stephon Gilmore, who recently signed with the Vikings.

Diggs is expected to be ready for the opener and will likely have Carson starting opposite him with Jourdan Lewis manning the slot.

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