The Dallas Cowboys' bye week is here, giving America's Team plenty of time to reflect on the 2025 season's first half. Most Cowboys fans know that the team's defense has been a major issue all year long, forcing the team to add defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson before the trade deadline.
A lot has been said of this team's struggling run defense since the start of the season, and rightfully so. That's why general manager/owner Jerry Jones is hoping for Williams to make an impact in the trenches. And if Wilson can help stop the run, too, even better.
But even if the run D is improving, the Cowboys' effectiveness against the pass is still murky, hence why this season has been such a disappointment for DaRon Bland's fans. Once considered to be one of the prime ball hawks in the game, the Cowboys' playmaking cornerback has been a shell of himself this season.
DaRon Bland Must Turn Things Around After the Bye Week
Following a breakout campaign, the Cowboys rewarded Bland with a deal worth $92 million over four years. They gave him $49 million guaranteed, making him the fifth-highest-paid cornerback in the game.
However, besides missing time with injury, he's currently 43rd among cornerbacks with a 62.6 Pro Football Focus coverage grade. For comparison, we're talking about the same CB who finished 28th in 2024 (71.4) and third the year before that (89.9).
Bland is allowing opposing quarterbacks to throw for an 88.2 passer rating when targeting him. Pro Football Sports Network currently ranks him 90th among eligible cornerbacks with a 65.9 Impact Metric, and he only has one interception for the season.
His struggles may have reached a new low in the 27-17 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Second-year WR Marvin Harrison Jr. burned him so badly for a touchdown that the camera even caught CeeDee Lamb in disbelief on the Cowboys' sidelines (h/t @NFL).
All in all, Bland has given up 147 yards after the catch this season. Opposing quarterbacks are completing 73.3% of passes sent his way for 389 yards and three touchdowns, as well as a 112.2 passer rating.
The Cowboys already have plenty of questions at cornerback, with fellow veteran Trevon Diggs also struggling and currently on injured reserve. And if Bland doesn't clean up his act in the final eight games of the season, it would be hard to make a case for them to hold onto him and not part ways with him after the 2026 campaign when the guaranteed money runs out.
Needless to say, Bland is someone whom Cowboys fans will be closely keeping tabs on down the stretch and into the offseason.