DaRon Bland’s rise from fifth-round pick to record-setter bought him a huge payday. It also put the Cowboys in a tricky spot when his play slipped.
Dallas gave Bland a four-year, $90 million extension last August, but this season has turned rough in a hurry. He has not intercepted a pass since Week 7 of last season, and when he isn’t making the kind of game-changing play that produced six touchdowns in his career, he has been getting beat for big gains.
That drop-off matters even more because of the money attached to his deal. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell pointed out that the Cowboys would owe Bland $13 million in guaranteed money if he were to suffer “a significant injury.” If he stays healthy, Dallas avoids that bill.
“The Cowboys don't want to be on the hook for that money, so it would hardly be a surprise if they took Bland out of the lineup altogether once (Cobie) Durant and (Joey) Porter Jr. are back on the field to avoid triggering those guarantees, which would happen if Bland suffers a significant injury,” Barnwell wrote.
That gives Dallas a real reason to think about trimming Bland’s role, even if the on-field results have already made that a conversation. The Cowboys already have enough issues on defense, and they could be facing a choice between continuing to lean on a corner who has struggled and protecting themselves from a costly injury trigger.
They do have other options. Dallas signed former Los Angeles Rams cornerback Cobie Durant this season, then made the blockbuster move for former Pittsburgh Steelers star Joey Porter Jr. earlier this month.
The Cowboys are still trying to figure out exactly what they have in Shavon Revel Jr., who flashed in training camp but has had his own problems this season. They also have versatile defensive back Caleb Downs, who can play slot corner or safety.
Bland is unlikely to be a full inactive for Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers, but his snap count could start trending down if the Cowboys decide the safest move is to protect both their defense and their wallet.
In Other News...
Cowboys Already Have One Ugly Debate At 2-3
The Cowboys 2-3 start has already pushed the conversation past disappointment and into blame, which is never a comfortable place for a team this early in the season. Around Dallas, the usual list of culprits is starting to take shape, with owner and general manager Jerry Jones, head coach Brian Schottenheimer, defensive coordinator Christian Parker, player execution and injuries all landing under the microscope as fans try to make sense of what has gone wrong.
A fan survey is now feeding into that larger debate, asking whether the Cowboys are headed in the right direction. It fits the mood of a season that has moved quickly from expectation to unease, and it says plenty about how thin the margin has become when a team with this much attention is already trying to answer questions about its direction instead of its ceiling. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys May Have One Fix For Problems On Both Sides
The Cowboys early-season frustrations on both sides of the ball have pushed the conversation back to an old football truth: when the ground game works, a lot of other problems get easier to manage. Dallas has been trying to find more balance on offense while also looking for ways to help a defense that has been pressed too often, and the rushing attack has become a clear area to clean up. It has been a quiet slide so far, with the unit sitting near the bottom of the league and Javonte Williams not producing the kind of rushing yards Dallas needs from him.
A stronger commitment to the run could give the Cowboys longer drives, better field position and some relief for a defense that would benefit from a little less time on the field. That makes the upcoming game against the Green Bay Packers a useful measuring stick, because the path to fixing one side of the ball may run directly through the other. If Dallas can get the rushing game moving, it might not solve everything, but it would at least give the team a more stable place to start. [Read more 🡒]
Why Chad Hennings Made Cowboys No 96 Mean So Much More
For the Cowboys, No. 96 will always carry a little extra weight because of Chad Hennings, the defensive tackle whose path to Dallas was anything but ordinary. Before becoming a fixture on the line and a respected locker room presence for nearly a decade, Hennings served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force and arrived in the NFL already well into his 20s, bringing a level of discipline and perspective that fit neatly with a franchise built on toughness and expectation.
What made Hennings so memorable was not just the football resume, though three Super Bowl rings make that case pretty quickly. It was the combination of his military background, his late start in pro football and the way he became a steady defensive force once he finally settled in with Dallas. Among all the players who wore 96, Hennings stood out because his story gave the number a meaning that went well beyond production on Sundays. [Read more 🡒]