Trio of stars out for Cowboys in Falcons test

When does a worry become a woe, and at what point does a woe become a crisis? Whatever level of pain you‘re on regarding the Schmidt Scale (check it out), Dallas fans are all suffering as one.

And it doesn’t get any better scrolling through the injury list the side currently has submitted into NFL HQ, with a total of three key figures on the sidelines due to physical problems.

One of them is DaRon Bland, Dallas' number one cornerback. The 25-year-old was selected by the Cowboys in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft and earned NFC Defensive Player of the Month honors in November 2023.

What injury does DaRon Bland have?

Bland suffered a stress fracture in his foot toward the end of the preseason. Although the Cowboys activated him from injured reserve on Wednesday as his 21-day window concluded, he was reportedly unable to practice.

After surgery, he nearly returned in Week 6 but experienced a setback, extending his time on IR until he was fully healed. Now, it seems he’ll miss the game against the Falcons and will have to wait to make his season debut.

Bland, who was selected to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams, was top of the league in terms of interceptions (9) and had an NFL-record five picks returned for touchdowns in 17 games (15 starts) last season. Since being selected by the Cowboys in the 2022 NFL Draft, he has recorded 14 interceptions and 123 tackles.

SEE ALSO: Parsons' admission following injury diagnosis

The Cowboys ruled out two other players for Week 9: the aforementioned star man Micah Parsons, who suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Cowboys' Week 4 win over the New York Giants, and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, who suffered from a wrist injury in Week 2.

The Falcons play against the Cowboys at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, November 3, 2024 at 1 p.m. ET.