Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland still found his name in an unexpected place this week: ESPN’s cornerback rankings for 2026.
It wasn’t a top-10 spot. It wasn’t even an honorable mention. But Bland did draw votes from executives, coaches and scouts for ESPN’s list, which is a notable twist given how far his stock has fallen over the last two seasons.
The top 10, in order, featured Patrick Surtain II, Derek Stingley Jr., Christian Gonzalez, Devon Witherspoon, Trent McDuffie, Quinyon Mitchell, Denzel Ward, Jaycee Horn, Sauce Gardner and Cooper DeJean.
The honorable mention group included Kamari Lassiter, Joey Porter Jr., A.J. Terrell Jr. and Jaylon Johnson.
Bland landed in the “also receiving votes” tier alongside DJ Turner, Marlon Humphrey, Alontae Taylor, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Travis Hunter, Tyson Campbell, Byron Murphy Jr., Deommodre Lenoir and Riq Woolen.
That’s a long way from where Bland once stood. He broke through early, earned a Pro Bowl nod in his second NFL season and played well enough to land a major contract extension. Since then, though, the trajectory has gone the other direction.
Over the last two seasons, Bland has appeared in only 19 games because of injury. His 2025 season ended early after another foot problem that required surgery, and that injury has kept him out of spring practices this offseason.
The production hasn’t matched the paycheck, either. In the past two years, Bland has allowed completion rates of 60.8% and 62.3% when targeted, along with passer ratings of 105.7 and 103.3. He has also given up nine touchdowns in that span.
One of the roughest moments came against the Arizona Cardinals last season, when Marvin Harrison Jr. left Bland behind for a touchdown. Even CeeDee Lamb had a reaction to the play: “Even CeeDee Lamb thought that route was filthy AZvsDAL on ESPN/ABCStream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/lKxT4ETJ1o”
Bland is still expected to open the season as one of Dallas’ boundary starters, but the Cowboys have alternatives waiting. Shavon Revel and free-agent addition Cobie Durant are both on the roster, giving the team options if Bland struggles or if the injury issues show up again.
And there’s a financial layer to this, too. If Bland doesn’t bounce back, Dallas has a post-June 1 release option next year that would clear $13 million in salary cap space while leaving $4.3 million in dead money, according to Over The Cap.
That means this season could end up carrying a lot more weight than a simple ranking ever would.
In Other News...
Commanders Just Twisted The Knife On Cowboys' Biggest Secondary Concern
The Commanders kept building out their secondary by adding veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas on a deal reportedly worth $3.8 million, a move that gives Washington another experienced body in a room that still has its own questions. Douglas has been around the league enough to know the job, with stops that include Green Bay and Miami, and his arrival is the sort of depth signing teams make when they want a steadier floor on the back end.
For Dallas, the timing lands with a little more sting because the Cowboys are already dealing with uncertainty at corner. Health concerns around DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel have made the position a real watch item, and the depth behind them is thin enough that every outside move in the division feels a little louder than it otherwise would. In a race where secondary stability matters, Washington just made sure it has one more option while the Cowboys are still sorting out theirs. [Read more 🡒]
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Dallas has at least one added wrinkle here, too, because Brian Schottenheimer already knows Wagner from their Seahawks days. Even so, this is still more of a fit check than a transaction report, with the Cowboys linked to the idea of adding a proven linebacker but no move actually in hand yet. [Read more 🡒]
New Findings On Marshawn Kneelands Death Will Hit Cowboys Fans Hard
Marshawn Kneelands death has already left the Cowboys community grieving, and the latest findings add another painful layer to remember about the former defensive lineman. The Boston University CTE Center examined his brain tissue, and the Concussion & CTE Foundation later announced a posthumous diagnosis of Stage 1 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition tied to repeated head impacts and one that can only be identified after death through neuropathological examination.
Kneeland was just 24 when he died, and the news is especially sobering for a player whose NFL career had only just begun to take shape. His family donated his brain tissue for the examination, and the foundation has emphasized that the diagnosis should not be read as a cause of death or a proven suicide risk factor, a distinction that matters even as the football world keeps confronting the long-term toll of the game. [Read more 🡒]