The Dallas Cowboys can’t pay everyone. Between Micah Parsons, Tyler Smith, Jake Ferguson, and recently acquired George Pickens, the Cowboys have tough decisions to make regarding who is on their roster and get massive extensions. One of those names is cornerback DaRon Bland, whose contract expires after the 2025 season.

Will DaRon Bland leave the Dallas Cowboys after this season?

Bland shocked the nation as a 5th-round selection on America’s Team. After Trevon Diggs went down in 2023, a lot of fans prepared to be disappointed with the prospect of Diggs teaming with veteran Stephon Gilmore, who remains a free agent. Instead, they would get DaRon Bland, who would emerge as one of the more electrifying cornerbacks to watch in the NFL. Bland had 9 interceptions in the 2023 season and a record-breaking 5 interceptions returned for a touchdown. Once the Cowboys discovered Bland’s playmaking ability, they were content with letting Stephon Gilmore walk to Minnesota in 2024. The Cowboys intended to see DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs as the lockdown duo in the secondary.

Unfortunately, that’s not how the 2024 season panned out. DaRon Bland missed the first 10 games of the season, while Diggs missed 6 of the last 7. Their lone performance together was December 9th in a losing effort to Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and the Cincinnati Bengals in a fight for the slim playoff hopes the Cowboys were clinging to.

We’re likely to witness the same unfortunate scenario in 2025. Trevon Diggs will be working back from a torn ACL and is likely to miss the start of the season. It’ll be Bland’s turn to hold down the fort and try to keep the Cowboys in playoff contention for when Diggs comes back.

Bland will be the number one corner in the meantime as he looks to elevate Caelen Carson, Kaiir Elam, and rookie cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. This isn’t ideal, especially looking at a division with the Eagles (AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith), the Commanders (Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel), and the Giants (Malik Nabers).

Just looking at the first 9 weeks before the bye week is scary.

• Week 1: AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith
• Week 2: Malik Nabers
• Week 3: DJ Moore and Rome Odunze
• Week 4: Matthew Golden and Christian Watson
• Week 5: Garrett Wilson
• Week 6: Tetairoa McMillan
• Week 7: Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel
• Week 8: Courtland Sutton
• Week 9: Marvin Harrison Jr.

If anything, the Cowboys need to get Trevon Diggs healthy to see what a Diggs-Bland duo will look like to incentivize Bland to re-sign with the team. But there are some things to consider.

MONEY

There’s only so much money that can go around. The list of players the Cowboys will have to decide on just grows because of how well the team drafts since Will McClay entered the picture for the Cowboys. As of now, Diggs is the fifth-highest paid player on the Cowboys roster with a $12.6 million cap hit and accounting for 4.51% of the team’s salary cap. Bland would likely command Trevon Diggs’ money, which Diggs is in the middle of a 5-year, $97 million deal. Would the Cowboys pay nearly $20 million each for two cornerbacks?

When you look at other positions that need to be kept to par, the Cowboys might want to allocate that into their left guard (Tyler Smith), defensive end (Micah Parsons), and other game-changing positions.

THE AL HARRIS EFFECT

Cornerbacks in Dallas seemed to excel from 2020-2024 with Al Harris on the coaching staff. We saw Stephon Gilmore turn back the clock, guys off the street making plays, and the emergence of Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. Harris is highly regarded as one of the best secondary coaches in the NFL, and he left for the Chicago Bears this offseason. With a new coaching staff, Bland might not have the same relationship dynamic as he had with Al Harris.

DaRon Bland has already made comments about being played in the slot for OTAs, which he doesn’t mind, but has made it clear he prefers to play on the outside. Will a scheme preference and how the new coaching staff plays Bland impact his decision to stay in Dallas in the future?

DEVELOPING NEW TALENT

The Cowboys typically build in the draft as opposed to free agency. The Cowboys do retain their own players, but this team has a good track record of drafting cornerbacks (except for you, Mo Claiborne). Bland, Diggs, and Jourdan Lewis are all products of the NFL Draft. It’s the cheaper route (going back to money), but it won’t be the end of the world if the Cowboys get their eyes on a prospect they can develop rather than paying Bland high-end money.

Even looking at previous drafts, the Cowboys have drafted Caelen Carson and Shavon Revel Jr. in the previous two seasons. The team can try developing someone into the next DaRon Bland.

Signing DaRon Bland all comes down to how much the Cowboys need him to succeed and win games beyond this season. If he’s worth every penny, the team should write a big check for Bland. If he’s not high on the priority list, fans might see Bland wearing new colors in 2026. We’ll see how 2025 goes first.