Cowboys CB DaRon Bland emerging as potential star
Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs's season-ending ACL tear was a crushing blow for the Dallas Cowboys, but DaRon Bland has proved he's a capable replacement.
In four games, Bland is tied for the league lead in interceptions (three), including pick-sixes against the New York Giants and New England Patriots. In addition, his 16.7 passer rating in coverage this season is the lowest in the NFL, per Garrett Podell of CBS Sports.
Perhaps he's benefiting from the tutelage of five-time Pro Bowler and 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, who joined Dallas this offseason.
"He is a great player," Gilmore said, via Podell. "He is only in his second year. One thing about him is he is focused. He comes in every day and works. He is still young. I am trying to teach him as much as I can. He is going to have a good career. He just has to keep it going."
The Cowboys need Bland to keep developing into a stellar player as they head into their highly anticipated matchup against the San Francisco 49ers on "Sunday Night Football." The 49ers rank ninth in passing yards, and second-year QB Brock Purdy, ranked first in QBR (84.6), looks like a franchise cornerstone.
Nonetheless, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn believes the former Fresno State Bulldog can handle the challenge.
"There's never been anything that's too big for him. He has a small-school background, but he doesn't come across that way," Quinn said about Bland in a Monday news conference. "He really took to the coaching. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing, a real competitor. He's someone that we really count on."
The Cowboys will rely on their defense, which has allowed the fewest points (41) in the NFL, to beat elite teams like the Niners and prepare for a deep postseason run. It's a great sign that Bland is quickly emerging as a potential star after Dallas lost its other big-play corner.
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