FRISCO, Texas -- It has been one step forward, two steps back for Dallas Cowboys first-team All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland as he recovers from a stress fracture in his foot that occurred during the last week of training camp.
Bland, who led the NFL with nine interceptions in 2023 while setting an NFL single-season record for pick-sixes (five), appeared to be close to returning in Week 6 against the Detroit Lions. He practiced fully on both Wednesday and Thursday that week before being ruled out.
He returned to fully participate in a non-walkthrough practice for the first time since that week on Thursday, and he noticed a legitimate difference between how his foot feels now versus a few weeks back.
"It feels good just to be at practice again. It felt good just to be back out there practicing and feeling good on the foot," Bland said. "Yeah, [it's] responding better, but I definitely feel more confident on it. ... I was always real frustrated in general with it just because it was my first injury. So just being out this long, and it took a toll on me a little bit, so I got a little frustrated."
When the injury occurred in August, it was anticipated that Bland would be back on the field by this point in the season. Despite the longer-than-expected recovery time, Bland insisted that he did not have a "setback" with his return-to-play efforts.
"No, I wouldn't call it that," Bland said when asked if he had a setback. "Just trying to get more comfortable and trying to get just the feel of it. Honestly, I kind of couldn't tell how long it was going to take. I was just hoping it was going to get better. Just waiting to get back out there."
Bland doesn't see himself dealing with any rust despite not playing in a game since the Cowboys' postseason loss to the Packers in January. Lining up next to Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs and steady nickel corner Jourdan Lewis probably factors a little bit into that confidence.
"Even just putting the helmet back on just felt good. I'm a guy that can't sit out too long," Bland said. "It's definitely been hard, especially being on the sideline, watching from home and just not being able to do the stuff like I usually do out there for my guys."
However, maintaining his cardio and stamina while dealing with a foot injury has challenged his ability to stiff-arm the rust factor.
"You're trying to do stuff to be not full weight-bearing on it, so kind of just like [stationary bikes], hydro-water exercises and stuff like that."
Whether Bland has recovered enough to make his season debut for the 3-7 Cowboys on Sunday against the Washington Commanders remains to be seen.
"I can't say yet," Bland said.
The determining factor for Bland to return is consistently feeling good, something that hasn't come easy throughout his recovery process.
"It was kind of like ups and downs with that because some days I feel like, 'oh I got it,' and then the next day, it would be like kind of 'all right, it's kind of aggravating a little bit.' Most of the time it's kind of feeling alright," Bland said.
If Bland does play, he'll have an "interesting" matchup with Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, his defensive coordinator for his first two seasons in Dallas. Bland admitted he still misses Quinn and his energy.
"They're [Washington] different with the special offense [with quarterback Jayden Daniels], but also Dan Quinn is over there. So he knows the type of guy I am over there, so it's going to be very interesting," Bland said. "He's a guy that drafted me on defense, so coming in, learning the game from him. It was a big thing for me. As a coach, he takes it to another level. He doesn't only try to be your coach. He's trying to be a mentor, your brother. So somebody who's trying to be there for you whenever."
Whenever he does return, Bland looks to pickup his first-team All-Pro level play he established last season. He generated nine takeaways on his own in 2023, all off of interceptions. That's the same amount of takeaways the 2024 Dallas Cowboys defense as a whole possesses without him.
"We miss him, number one," Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said of Bland on Wednesday. "It'll be great to get him back out there, but this has been a tough return to play for him. I'm just hoping that he can cross that threshold. Today [Wednesday's walkthrough] was a big day to have him out there. Every injury is different. He's the type that will do whatever he can to get out there. Hopefully he can just complete the process."
"Just trying to continue my level of play out there," Bland said with a chuckle.