DaRon Bland burst onto the scene for the Dallas Cowboys during his rookie season in 2022. The fifth-round pick out of Fresno State recorded five interceptions, earning a key role in the secondary going forward.

He was even better in year two, recording nine interceptions, five of which he returned for touchdowns. Since then, however, Bland has been trending in the wrong direction.

Foot injuries cost him time in 2024 and 2025 and he had just one interception during that span. The Cowboys still (for some reason) decided to sign Bland to a lucrative extnesion last year, giving him a four-year, $92 million deal. As many predicted, Bland has continued to look like the player we saw in 2024 and 2025 rather than the one we saw during his first two seasons in the league.

In fact, it's fair to argue that he's been even worse this season. Entering Week 9, Bland has an overall PFF grade of 43.1, which is 91st out of 102 qualified cornerbacks. His coverage has been especially worrisome as Bland has surrendered 375 yards and four touchdowns while allowing a quarterback rating of 124.6 when targeted. That's why defensive coordinator Christian Parker recently said he and Bland have discussed the need for improvement from the fifth-year defensive back.

“We need more from him. He knows that, we’ve had some good talks about that. I think he’s battling. The frustrating thing for him and for us has been he’s been close and contesting. Now, it’s about the final piece of just finishing those plays," Parker said via Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "We just got to get back to making that consistent.”

DaRon Bland should not be starting

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer has been preaching accountability throughout his tenure, but the way they're handling Bland's slump is the exact opposite.

Bland isn't just struggling to make plays as Parker suggested, but he's actually a major liability in coverage. Opposing defenses know to look in his direction and they're having tremendous success when doing so.

Rather than hold Bland accountable for his poor play, they continue to trot him out on the field, even with a superior option available. Cobie Durant, who enters Week 9 with an overall PFF grade of 62.4, has had far more success than Bland. Even so, Bland is given more snaps each week while Durant has played behind him and Joey Porter Jr.

If the Cowboys are serious about improvong on defense and holding players accountable, they need to be willing to make difficult decisions. Benching Bland in favor of Durant could give the defense a much-needed spark while putting pressure on the veteran cornerback to regroup and elevate his performance.

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