Cowboys BREAKING: DaRon Bland OUT; Surgery

The Dallas Cowboys are about to suffer a major blow to their defense with the Saturday announcement that standout cornerback DaRon Bland requires surgery on a stress fracture in his foot and will now be out six to eight weeks.

Bland, who exploded onto the NFL scene in 2023 when he topped the league in interceptions last year with nine, including an NFL-record five returned for touchdowns, suffered the injury toward the end of training camp in Oxnard.

Tests revealed the stress fracture, which will cause the Cowboys to have to use backups to take the place of the Pro Bowl corner for a predicted two months.

The Cowboys announced the move in this statement:

DaRon Bland experienced foot discomfort on Wednesday of last week during training camp in Oxnard. Subsequent imaging revealed a stress fracture in his foot. He will undergo surgery to repair the injury and is currently projected to be out for 6-8 weeks.

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At the other cornerback spot, the Cowboys are hoping for a return to All-Pro level from Trevon Diggs, who has recovered nicely from last year's season-ending knee injury. Dallas also believes it has developed depth at the boundary cornerback position, though this certainly thrusts in to the spotlight young prospects like Caelen Carson, the highly thought of rookie fifth-round draft pick, along with former Vikings second-rounder Andrew Booth, recently acquired in trade.

The Cowboys close their preseason slate on Saturday afternoon with a home game against the Los Angeles Chargers before prepping for a Week 1 start at Cleveland.