All in all, and with the knocking on wood that is required in these situations, the Dallas Cowboys are trending toward good health thus far this offseason. There are no major knee surgeries or tendons that have been repaired and are in need of rehab, and for the most part, it appears that attendance throughout the offseason program has been encouraging. But there are two recovering Cowboys starters–Donovan Ezeiruaku and DaRon Bland–with whom the team is being decidedly careful.
With good reason. Both are expected to play important roles in the 2026 defensive revamp, where the team hopes that Ezeiruaku can blossom into a top pass rusher after a subpar rookie year and that Bland can return to his 2023 All-Pro form after two injury-wracked years.
Officially, Ezeiruaku had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip. As it turns out, he had been playing through that injury for the back stretch of last year. And Bland is recovering from another surgery on his left foot, which he first injured in 2024 but which has lingered for nearly two year now.
Cowboys ‘Being Smart’ With Donovan Ezeiruaku, DaRon Bland
On Thursday at The Star, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer was talking about his team’s health, and appeared pleased. OTAs are not particularly physical, of course, but the team is remaining cautious with both Bland and Ezeiruaku, who were present but kept out of action.
Said Schottenheimer: “You will see most of the guys in mock. We have got a few guys who we are going to be smart with. Ezeiruaku, DaRon Bland, some guys like that. You’ll see them throughout the next couple of weeks advance into more individual drills and stuff like that. But a few of those guys, we’re going to be pretty smart with.
“But right now we’re pretty healthy. Most of our guys are in a good spot. The two that jump out at me would be DaRon and EZ, we those are the guys we will be mindful of.”
Cowboys Looking for DaRon Bland Return to Form
The Cowboys did much to transform the defense this offseason, and could have as many as six or seven new starters. But that does not include Ezeiruaku and Bland, who were part of the defensive disaster of 2025.
Bland’s struggles were just part of his health issues–if the foot is not 100%, he is going to have problems. He only played 19 games in the past two seasons, but struggled even when he was on the field. Bland allowed a passer rating of 105.7 in 2024 and 103.3 last year, up from 60.8 when he was an All-Pro in 2023.
Maybe the new surgery can fix the problem.
Progress Expected for Donovan Ezeiruaku
But Ezeiruaku is a guy the Cowboys are still trying to figure out how to unlock. He had only 2.0 sacks but overall, played well and should improve. Hopefully, the hip surgery will be part of that process. When asked about his confidence in the Cowboys’ pass rush, Schottenheimer pointed to Ezeiruaku.
He said: “I am going to start with Donovan Ezeiruaku going into Year 2. There is a reason we felt so highly of him going into last year. Then you look back and knowing that he played the last number of games with some ailments.”
Cowboys Given Injury Update on 2 Defensive Starters