Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland on the field before the game against the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium. Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

No guarantee Dallas Cowboys will get defensive reinforcements against Packers

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Zach Dimmitt | Last updated Sep 25, 2025 2:39 PM ET

The Dallas Cowboys offense will have to deal with a highly-motivated Micah Parsons when he makes his return to AT&T Stadium on Sunday for the Green Bay Packers, but the Dallas defense also has its own issues to deal with.

The Cowboys got shredded in Week 3's loss to the Chicago Bears, and one can only guess what an even better Packers offense will be able to do against Matt Eberflus' porous unit.

The one glimmer of hope for the Cowboys' defense is the potential return of All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland and the season debut of recently-signed Pro Bowl edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney.

But similar to his lack of answers on defense, Eberflus couldn't guarantee that Bland or Clowney would be able to play in Week 4's primetime matchup against Green Bay.

According to Tommy Yarrish of Cowboys.com, Eberflus said that there's "no promises" that Bland or Clowney will play on Sunday but that the team will continue to monitor their status in the coming days.

Clowney has been working himself back into game shape at practice while Bland has been recovering from a foot injury that has forced him to miss the past two games. He had three total tackles in the season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Bland's potential return is much more vital considering how awful the Dallas secondary has been. The Cowboys have allowed the most total passing yards (864) through the first three weeks of the season.

The Packers and Cowboys will kick off from Arlington on Sunday at 7:20 p.m. CT.