Who will replace Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland?

The Dallas Cowboys have already had to deal with several unfortunate injuries during the preseason, and on Saturday, they were dealt yet another blow. One of their top defenders, cornerback DaRon Bland, will have to miss between six and eight weeks after suffering from a stress fracture in his foot that will require surgery.

With the regular season just two weeks away, this is actually really bad news. Heading into his third season in the league, Bland has already become one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. In the last two seasons, he’s had 14 interceptions, nine of which came last year, and an NFL record five of those nine were returned for touchdowns. Without him, what do the Cowboys have?

Who can replace DaRon Bland?

Superstar Trevon Diggs is the right cornerback with Jourdan Lewis at nickel back, and opposite Diggs was DaRon Bland. Behind Bland are rookie Caelen Carson, Josh Butler, and C.J. Goodwin. Either one of them will fill in for Bland while he’s out, or Dallas will need to look outside their roster.

Carson was the Cowboys’ fifth-round pick in this year’s draft, so he seems the obvious option. Even Jerry Jones seemed not to be worried about the injury to Bland, simply because they do have Carson, saying “he earned that pick and then some even before the injury to Bland.”

Still, going from being an impressive rookie in training camp to a starting cornerback in the NFL is a pretty big jump. Then again, Bland was a fifth-round pick in 2022, and was leading the league in interceptions and defensive touchdowns just a year later. Andrew Booth Jr., Eric Scott Jr., and Kemon Hall could also move left and be options to fill in for Bland.

Then there is the option of looking into free agency. Stephen Gilmore was an option up until last week, when he finally signed with the Minnesota Vikings. There are actually only a handful of cornerbacks left available at this point - Xavien Howard, Jalen Mills, Adoree’ Jackson, JC Jackson, Eli Apple and Patrick Peterson.

Of those available, Peterson seems the best fit despite being on the older side (34). The eight-time Pro Bowler has 36 career interceptions since 2011, the second-most in the league. Peterson played under Cowboys’ current defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer when he was head coach in Minnesota, which already gives him an edge over the others. He could potentially make a good mentor for Carson if nothing else.

The Cowboys will have to make some decisions soon as the NFL requires all teams to cut their rosters down to 53 by 3 p.m. CDT on Tuesday. Waiver claims for released players must be submitted by noon on Wednesday.