 Bland with the Dallas Cowboys in 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 26 –Dallas Cowboys | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1999-07-12)July 12, 1999 (age 25) Modesto, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 197 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Central Catholic (Modesto) | ||||||||||||||
| College: |
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| NFL draft: | 2022: 5th round, 167th pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||||
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DaRon Bland (/dəˈrɒn/də-RON;[1] born July 12, 1999) is an American professionalfootballcornerback for theDallas Cowboys of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theSacramento State Hornets before transferring to theFresno State Bulldogs. The Cowboys selected Bland in the fifth round of the2022 NFL draft. In 2023, heled the NFL with 9interceptions and set the NFL single-season record for most interceptions returned for atouchdown with five; this also tiedKen Houston's record for the most defensive touchdowns in a single season.[2]
Bland grew up inModesto, California, and attendedCentral Catholic High School, playing receiver on the football team as well as running track and field.[3][4] He was named theValley Oak League Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.[5]
Bland began his college career atSacramento State. As a junior, he was named first-team All-Big Sky Conference after recording 43 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and forced fumbles with two interceptions and eight passes broken up.[6] After his senior season was canceled and moved to the spring of 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Bland entered the NCAA Transfer Portal.[7]Bland ultimately committed to transfer toFresno State.[8] In his only season with the Bulldogs he recorded 45 tackles with five passes defended and two interceptions in 13 games played.[9]
| Season | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Cmb | TfL | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | FF | TD | ||
| Sacramento State Hornets | ||||||||||||||
| 2017 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 10 | 33 | 11 | 44 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 47 | 47.0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 13 | 30 | 13 | 43 | 6.5 | 1.0 | 2 | 43 | 21.5 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 | Season cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic | ||||||||||||
| Fresno State Bulldogs | ||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 13 | 34 | 11 | 45 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 38 | 19.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 43 | 102 | 38 | 140 | 10.5 | 1.0 | 5 | 128 | 25.6 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft0+1⁄4 in (1.84 m) | 197 lb (89 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 4.48 s | 1.55 s | 2.59 s | 4.15 s | 7.26 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) | 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) | 14 reps | |
| All values fromPro Day[10] | ||||||||||||
TheDallas Cowboys selected Bland in the fifth round (167th overall) of the2022 NFL draft. He was the 23rd cornerback drafted in 2022.[11][12]
On May 13, 2022, the Dallas Cowboys signed Bland to a four-year,$3.96 millioncontract that includes asigning bonus of $304,788.[13]
Throughouttraining camp, Bland competed againstKelvin Joseph,Nahshon Wright, andJourdan Lewis for a role as the primary backup cornerback and slot cornerback.[14] Head coachMike McCarthy named him the fifth cornerback on the depth chart to start his rookie season, behindTrevon Diggs,Anthony Brown,Jourdan Lewis, andKelvin Joseph. He was also named the backup slot cornerback behind Lewis.[15] Although Bland wore No. 30 throughout training camp, he opted to switch to No. 26 after it became available whenKyron Brown was released during final roster cuts.
On September 11, 2022, Bland made his professional regular season debut, but appeared only on special teams during a 9–13 loss in the home-opener against theTampa Bay Buccaneers. On October 2, 2022, Bland saw his first action on defense after Jourdan Lewis was sidelined due to a groin injury.[16] He made three solo tackles, a pass deflection, and his first career interception on a pass attempt toCurtis Samuel by quarterbackCarson Wentz in the fourth quarter of a 25–10 win over theWashington Commanders.[17] On October 24, 2022, defensive coordinatorDan Quinn promoted Bland to starting nickelback in place of Lewis, who was placed oninjured reserve for the rest of the season after sustaining alisfranc injury.[18] In Week 10, Blabs earned his first career start at nickelback and recorded six combined tackles (five solo) in a 28–31 loss at theGreen Bay Packers. On December 4, 2022, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles (four solo), deflected two passes, and made a season-high two interceptions off pass attempts byMatt Ryan as the Cowboys defeated theIndianapolis Colts 54–19.[19][20] In Week 15, he made six combined tackles (four solo), a pass deflection, and interceptedTrevor Lawrence to mark his fourth of the season in a 34–40 win at theJacksonville Jaguars. The following week, he made five combined tackles (four solo), a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass byGardner Minshew to mark his fifth of the season in a 40-34 win against thePhiladelphia Eagles. His five interceptions set an NFL record for most interceptions by a rookie.[21] He finished the season with 54 combined tackles (38 solo), seven pass deflections, and five interceptions in 17 games and 8 starts.[22]
TheDallas Cowboys earned a playoff berth as a wildcard after ending the regular season second in theNFC East with a 12–5 record. On January 16, 2023, Bland started in his first playoff appearance and made seven combined tackles (three solo) during a 31–14 victory at theTampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wildcard Game. The following week, he collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (seven solo) and deflected a pass as the Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs as theSan Francisco 49ers defeated them 12–19 in theNFC Divisional Round.
During training camp, he competed to be the primary backup cornerback againstKelvin Joseph andNahshon Wright afterJourdan Lewis missed camp while he recovered from surgery and due to the departure ofAnthony Brown. Head coach Mike McCarthy listed Bland as the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind startersTrevon Diggs andStephon Gilmore.
On September 10, 2023, Bland made three solo tackles, a pass deflection, and returned an interception byDaniel Jones 22-yards to score his first touchdown during a 40–0 win at theNew York Giants. The pass was intended forSaquon Barkley, before it was broken up byTrevon Diggs and caught by Bland.[23] On September 23, 2023, the Dallas Cowboys placed Trevon Diggs on injured reserve due to a torn ACL and in turn, defensive coordinatorDan Quinn named Bland his replacement as an outside starting cornerback alongsideStephon Gilmore.[24]
In Week 4, Bland recorded four combined tackles (three solo), three pass deflections, two interceptions, and a touchdown in a 33–8 win over theNew England Patriots. His two interceptions were thrown byMac Jones and he scored his second touchdown after intercepting a pass toKendrick Bourne and returned it for a 54-yard touchdown in the second quarter.[25] On October 29, 2023, he made seven combined tackles (six solo), two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass byMatthew Stafford, while coveringCooper Kupp, and took it for a 30-yard touchdown as Dallas defeated theLos Angeles Rams 43–20. Bland's third touchdown in Week 7 set the Cowboys' franchise record for single-season interceptions returned for a touchdown previously held by five other players.[26]
On November 19, 2023, Bland had five combined tackles (two solo), a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass fromBryce Young and returned it for his fourth interception return for a touchdown of the year, tying the NFL single-season record and the Cowboys career record during a 33–10 win at theCarolina Panthers. Bland was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.[27] On November 23, 2023, Bland collected a season-high ten combined tackles (seven solo), broke up a pass, and intercepted a pass fromSam Howell and returned 66–yards during a 40–10 win against theWashington Commanders. It was his fifth interception return for a touchdown of the year, setting the NFL single-season record.[28] Bland was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November.[29] In Week 13, he made six combined tackles (five solo), a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass byGeno Smith for his fourth consecutive game with an interception during a 41–35 win at theSeattle Seahawks. He had 69 combined tackles (53 solo), 15 pass deflections, a career-high nine interceptions, and a career-high five touchdowns in 17 games and 15 starts.[30] He received an overall grade of 89.5 fromPro Football Focus, which ranked second among all qualifying cornerbacks in 2023.[31]
During training camp in 2024, Bland suffered a stress fracture and began the season on injured reserve.[32] On October 30, 2024, the Dallas Cowboys activated him from injured reserve after missing the first ten games of the season (Weeks 1–11). Upon his return, head coach Mike McCarthy named him a starting cornerback alongsideJourdan Lewis. On November 26, 2024, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles (six solo) and broke up a pass during a 27–20 win against theNew York Giants. He finished the2024 NFL season with a total of 41 combined tackles (29 solo), five pass deflections, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in seven games and seven starts.[33]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| NFL record | |
| Bold | Career high |
| 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 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | TD | PD | ||
| 2022 | DAL | 2 | 2 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023 | DAL | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 3 | 3 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |