FRISCO, Texas — There has never been a time in either of their careers with the Dallas Cowboys in which Trevon Diggs, Jourdan Lewis and DaRon Bland have taken the field at the same time as starters, but that could very well, finally, change when they host the Detroit Lions on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
In 2022, Bland's rookie season with the club, he played as a backup nickel corner to Lewis and was named starter only after Lewis suffered a career-threatening foot injury. One year later, having had an impressive outing in Year 1, Bland was moved to the boundary after Trevon Diggs suffered a torn ACL in early September.
Bland went on to set the league in interceptions (9) and set an NFL record in pick-sixes (5), one season after Trevon Diggs tied the Cowboys' franchise record for most interceptions in a season (11), leading to a lot promise for what it might mean when they and Lewis — the defensive "tone-setter" in the secondary — take the field together soon.
It’s a dream long deferred, until now.
"Yeah, I can't wait," said Bland on Thursday, following his second full participation in team practice. "Those are both guys I looked up to when I first came into the league, and just to be able to play with them on the field at the same time for the first time? It's going to feel great."
Lewis agrees, to say the very least.
"It'd be good, man," said Lewis. "It hadn't happened in a while, honestly, I don't think ever, so it'd be the first time since that we'll be on the field together. It'll be a good thing. Hopefully we can get a win out of it, but it's definitely good to see him going out there and running and defending people at full speed. He almost had a pick today."
Bland suffered a stress fracture in his foot just ahead of the season that was surgically repaired and, as such, landed him on injured reserve and cost him a minimum of four games. The issue presented itself as soreness in the foot that turned out to be much more after tests were conducted, and Bland says it's not something that happened on any given play.
"It just happened over time," he said.
His practice window was opened on Wednesday, allowing the Cowboys until Oct. 30 before they have to make a decision on his status but, by all accounts, there's a more than solid chance he could take the field against the Lions.
It doesn't sound as if he's dealing with much rust, but Bland was quick to point out that rust is inevitable when you're away from the game for more than a month.
"I mean, of course there's some rust," he said. "I've been gone for a long while, so I've got a little bit of rust to knock off, so it'll be good to come back when I come back."
Will that be against the Lions, definitively?
Bland was coy with his answer, being sure to not overstep the words of head coach Mike McCarthy in that the Cowboys were going to "take it a day at a time".
"I feel pretty good, but as far as coming back, time will tell," he said with a smile, then reflecting on how tough it was to be sidelined while watching the Cowboys' scratch and claw their way to a 3-2 record heading into Week 6.
"It's tough," said Bland. "It was my first time being hurt, so taking that time away from the game, it took me a minute to get back to where I feel good to come back. So it feel good now. … It felt really long. I feel like I [haven't] played football in years, almost.
"It feels good to be back out there practicing."
Also drawing heavy praise from All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott for nearly landing an interception in his first practice back, and against Prescott himself, the ramping up of Bland is not simply on schedule, but rather ahead of it.
Sooner than later, he'll be doing far more than simply practicing and, once he returns to finally form the three-headed hydra promised by the Cowboys, it's a safe bet Bland will help make things extra spicy in the defensive backfield.
After all, quarterbacks have to throw the ball somewhere.
