and#039;Iand#039;m Playmaker!and#039; Bland has a surprising NFL rating among cornerbacks
Tim Hamm
FRISCO – The Dallas Cowboysand#039; the defense was suffocating at times and looked like swiss cheese at times. But in general? With the season winding down, an injury to No. 1 cornerback Trevon Diggs in September tested the depth of the secondary, and as is often the case, the “next man up andquot; mindset benefited the Cowboys in cornerback DaRon Bland.
Bland entered the game after Diggs tore his ACL in practice the day after his 25th birthday on Sept. 21. And amazingly enough, Diggsand#039; the injury did not hinder the defense as some thought.
In fact, Bland is exceeding all expectations after the departure of Diggand#039 to the point where he has the lowest pick 6 passer this season.
Teammate Micah Parsons said: andquot;He answered the call every time we asked him to step up.and#039;and#039;
Darron Bland
DaRon Bland USA Today
Bland posted a 37.0, which is better than every other corner in the league except the Saintsand#039; Paulson Adebo, who posted a 33.0.
The former fifth-round pick out of Fresno State has 29 tackles, 24 of them solo, one for loss, one quarterback hit, four interceptions and three touchdowns. Heand#039;s also had the Cowboysand#039; a defense that is not as dominant as last season, but will still prove to be the club’s strength in 2023.
Dallas leads the league in interceptions returned for touchdowns with three, and Bland is responsible for all of them. andquot;I can be the second game boss and#039;and#039; Bland said. andquot;We lost a playmaker (in Diggs), but it could easily be any of our days.andquot;
With the NFC East past realistic 5-3 Dallas to catch the 8-1 Eagles, the Cowboys still have their sights set on a third straight playoff appearance. Bland and the depth of the Dallas defense could make or break the success of the team during the remaining nine games.
Tim Hamm
Leave a Reply