Five games in, it is clear that the additional foot surgery for Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland was not the answer. It is clear, too, that Bland really should not be a starter in the NFL, that the 2023 All-Pro season he put up–featuring nine interceptions and five returned for touchdowns–was either an anomaly, or a level he can’t get back to because of his persistent injuries.
It’s also clear that the four-year, $92 million contract the Cowboys gave to Bland was an error and a major bust.
Check the numbers on Pro Football Reference. In that All-Pro year, Bland allowed a passer rating of 60.8, a true shutdown corner. The following year, with the foot injury, Bland allowed a rating of 105.7. That’s poor. In 2025, it was 103.3, also poor. After the disaster that was the 24-16 Week 5 loss to the Buccaneers at home, that number is now 129.5. which is not just poor, but unplayable.
DaRon Bland Dropped Pick-6
But it was not even the many mistakes Bland made in coverage in Week 5 that was the standout problem for the Cowboys. It was the signature play that Bland botched, the pick-6. So far removed are we from the magic of Bland in 2023 that when rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels of the Bucs pretty much put an interception into Bland’s bread basket, he could not even hold onto the ball, let alone return it for the score that was right in front of him.
The play occurred with the Cowboys down eight points and fewer than five minutes to play. It was a potential game-tying interception for Bland, who has one interception in three years since that breakout season.
Coach Brian Schottenheimer was disappointed: “We expect him to make those plays. You know, he expects himself to make those plays. You know, he’s made those plays a bunch around here, and you know, probably surprised because I have seen them make those plays so much.”
Cowboys Were ‘Supposed to Win’
Bland was not the only problem on the field on Thursday night for the Cowboys, of course, but he was certainly one of the main symptoms of what ails this team–name players who are not playing up to their contracts or stature. The Buccaneers played well, but this was a team that was 0-4 and starting an undrafted rookie quarterback, Jaylon Daniels.
The Cowboys were passive, uninterested, on their home field.
Said quarterback Dak Prescott: “We were definitely supposed to win this game, and in this league, you’ve gotta win the games you’re supposed to win.
“When a winless team comes into your home stadium, on Thursday night, primetime game, yeah, we’re supposed to win that. So, it sucks, and right up there close to embarrassing, but I don’t know if I would say that.”
Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer Calls Out $92 Million Bust After Blunder