The Dallas Cowboys know that they will be on a tight leash this season. While the team is coming off a 7-10 record, they’re getting back a healthy Dak Prescott and have added George Pickens to the mix. Fans will expect a playoff run, at the minimum.
However, there will be one veteran who likely won’t be apart of that run.
“He’s Gone” Cowboys To Walk Away From 30-Game Starter (Breaking)
DaRon Bland, who has had an impressive start to his career in the NFL, is expected to depart the Dallas Cowboys:
Bland is heading into the final season of his rookie deal, having given the Cowboys a massively disproportionate return on his $3.97 million rookie contract. He’s set to make some significant bank in his fifth year, but it probably won’t be with the Cowboys.
That is according to PFF’s Mason Cameron, who has Bland down as the No. 1 free agent CB for 2026.
The NFC East outfit is already paying Trevon Diggs a massive sum after agreeing to a five-year, $97 million deal in 2023 and isn’t expected to keep both players. They haven’t opened extension talks with DaRon Bland and curiously drafted a cornerback this year.
“DaRon Bland makes up half of Dallas’ supremely talented cornerback tandem but remains without a deal heading into the 2025 season and reportedly isn’t in talks for one currently,” Cameron wrote this week.
“To add salt to the wound, the Cowboys spent a Day 2 draft pick at cornerback, likely signaling their budget doesn’t include an extension for Bland.”
Bland was an All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2023 after leading the league with nine interceptions. He also set the single-season record with five pick-sixes that year. However, the Cowboys have some great options at the position, including Diggs, a two-time Pro Bowler who led the NFL with 11 INTs in 2021.
If Bland remains healthy, he should command a massive salary after the 2025 season. Spotrac has projected that he will be worth at least a four-year, $94 million contract, which would make him one of the highest-paid CBs in the league, despite his missing 10 games last season.
There is the risk of the number going down should he miss a significant part of the upcoming term, but it could also go up if he remains true to form.
Here is a look at Bland’s career numbers:
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | TD | PD | ||
| 2022 | DAL | 17 | 8 | 54 | 38 | 16 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 0 | 7 |
| 2023 | DAL | 17 | 15 | 69 | 53 | 16 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 209 | 5 | 15 |
| 2024 | DAL | 7 | 7 | 41 | 29 | 12 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Career | 41 | 30 | 164 | 120 | 44 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 228 | 5 | 27 | |
