Cowboys DaRon Bland making a case for Defensive Player of the Year

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For much of the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys’ defense has been spectacular and a big reason for their solid start to the campaign.

Dan Quinn’s unit is third in yards allowed per game, while they rank fourth regarding turnover differential (+6).

Four of the Cowboys’ takeaways this year have come courtesy of DaRon Bland, who’s been putting together some spectacular performances in recent weeks.

Bland a Pick-Six Menace

When Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs injured his ACL, it rang alarm bells among fans and critics about how well the secondary would fare without his services.

His replacement, DaRon Bland though, has filled in remarkably well and made people forget about the void left by the Diggs injury.

After eight weeks in the 2023 NFL campaign, Bland has three pick-sixes as he is quickly establishing himself as a top corner.

His three interception touchdowns in 2023 set a Cowboys single-season record in that department, with the 24-year-old achieving that feat in only seven games.

Two more, and he would surpass Ken Houston, Jim Kearney and Eric Allen for the most pick-sixes in NFL history.

In his sophomore NFL campaign, Bland has four interceptions, one shy of what he achieved in 2022, while he already has nine passes defended, two more than a year ago.

His four picks put him in second in the NFL regarding interceptions this season, one behind safety Geno Stone of the Baltimore Ravens.

Cowboys corner “Doing his Job”

Even with all the hype surrounding Bland, the Cowboys corner who’s been playing more as an outside corner than in nickel packages is taking everything in stride.

Speaking on the Dallas Cowboys website, he said: “My goal was to have at least one interception this season. I have to rethink it now, halfway through the season. I wouldn’t have thought it would’ve come this quickly. I’m just doing my job.”

To say he’s merely doing his job would not be giving him as much credit as he deserves, though, as Bland has been anything but bland since replacing Diggs.

At the moment, he’s only allowing a 10.7 passer rating in coverage, the lowest in the NFL.

He’s been complimented in the cover game by Stephone Gilmore, who himself won the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Award with the New England Patriots.

With the two of them together, opposing receivers are finding it extremely difficult to throw the ball against the Cowboys’ secondary.

Bland’s competition

As things stand right now, the numbers that Bland has put up certainly have him on the shortlist for Defensive Player of the Year, but he will have some stiff competition for that award.

Cleveland’s Myles Garrett may be at the top of that list right now with 8.5 sacks and four forced fumbles, while the Steelers’ TJ Watt has one more sack than Garrett, plus six passes defended and an interception.

The Vikings Danielle Hunter leads the league in sacks (10) and tackles for losses (12), while Jacksonville’s Josh Allen is also in the mix with nine sacks and a pair of forced fumbles.

There’s also Micah Parsons who’s made nine tackles for losses and six sacks.

Only one Cowboy has ever won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in the NFL, four-time Pro-Bowler Harvey Martin in 1977.