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$90M All-Pro Cowboy faces 'best foot forward' or 'foot out door' 2026
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- $90M All-Pro Cowboy faces 'best foot forward' or 'foot out door' 2026
The NFL is a "what have you done for me lately" kind of league. A hard salary cap combined with ever shrinking windows of opportunity means teams like the Dallas Cowboys don't have luxury of being patient; not when their championship window is linked to a soon-to-be 33-year-old franchise quarterback. The Cowboys need all major resources going to the active roster and if a highly paid player like say, DaRon Bland , can't live up to the "active" status of that demand, it might be time to pull the plug.
Since his historic All-Pro campaign of 2023, Bland has been unable to put his best foot forward (pun unabashedly intended). A foot injury robbed him of all but seven games in 2024 and another foot injury ended his already-hobbled 2025 season just 12 weeks in. Now, playing on the first year of a four-year, $90M extension signed last August , Bland needs to prove he's money well spent, or else the Cowboys will have to think long and hard about investing his money elsewhere.
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Despite being in the early stages, the Cowboys have an out in Bland's deal after the season. Releasing him prior to March 17 next year would save the Cowboys over $4M in cap costs. It would be a sad way to celebrate St. Paddy's, but hey, that's what the beer is for. Cutting him in 2027 would at least prevent the team from throwing good money after bad should the foot issues persist.
Bland, who turns 26 later in July, is slated to be Dallas' top cornerback this season. Last seen healthy, he was an All-Pro, setting the single season record for interceptions returned for touchdown. But that was three seasons ago and since then it's been nothing but foot injuries and gimpy play from the Fresno State product.
Dallas certainly hopes Bland can recoup his skills because the options behind him are more than a little concerning. Shavon Revel , Devin Moore, Reddy Steward , Trikweze Bridges , Josh Butler and Caelen Carson just don't have the skins on the wall to prove they're anything above rotational. Only Cobie Durant has a track record of success and if being completely honest, it's a modest track record .
The Cowboys really do want to pay Bland his money, but they need him to post a healthy season first. If he can put the foot issues behind him and play well in 2026, expect him to stay in Dallas for the foreseeable future, but if he limps to the finish line or ends up on IR again, his fate is probably sealed.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: $90M All-Pro Cowboy faces 'best foot forward' or 'foot out door' 2026
