Mike McCarthy's comments only go so far in easing concerns about whether or not Cowboys All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland will be back for 2024 NFL season
NFL quarterbacks have been issued a pass for 11 weeks of the 2024 regular season and counting: Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland, who set the league record for most pick-sixes in a single season, has been out with a foot injury.Right now, we're wondering if that break for quarterbacks will keep going until 2025. Bland […]
NFL quarterbacks have been issued a pass for 11 weeks of the 2024 regular season and counting: Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland, who set the league record for most pick-sixes in a single season, has been out with a foot injury.
Right now, we're wondering if that break for quarterbacks will keep going until 2025. Bland once again worked with the rehab group on Thursday and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy didn't seem too optimistic about his chances of playing against the Houston Texans on the team's upcoming Monday Night Football date.
“Until it’s right, we’re not going to play him," McCarthy told reporters.
Bland's rehab process has been particularly complicated after he reportedly suffered a setback in practice back in Week 6, after the Cowboys activated his 21-day practice window. Leading up to the Detroit Lions game, the coaching staff seemed optimistic about his chances of playing as Bland picked up back-to-back full practices before being shut down on Friday due to soreness.
Paired with the fact that the Cowboys are 3-6 and likely done for the year, there's a notion the team might just call it a day with Bland and shut him down for the rest of the year to avoid risking him.
However, McCarthy eased such concerns on Thursday.
"I wouldn't say so," McCarthy said when asked about the possibility of sitting Bland the rest of the year. "I haven't been part of any conversation that illustrates that. (…) You just got to trust the feedback between him and (Cowboys director of rehabilitation Britt Brown) and trust the process."
Now granted, those are the words from McCarthy, a head coach still working and hoping to turn around what for many is already a lost cause. But his take only goes so far considering what the team has looked like on the field.
You see, what Bland's rehab development looks like is one thing. And another very different thing is if it'll be worth it to even risk it even if Bland is all healed up. If the season continues on this track, it might be a decision that hinges on what the front office is thinking about long-term and not on a coaching staff trying to save face before the season is over.
