The Cowboys didn't address their secondary until Day 3 of the NFL draft in April. That patience has paid off as cornerback DaRon Bland, who was taken in the fifth round, has quietly been carving out a roster spot for his inaugural NFL campaign.

Bland has routinely made plays in training camp, his preseason debut, and recent joint practices with the Los Angeles Chargers. His sticky coverage and ball skills have caught the eye of Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys' top corner.

The All-Pro recently talked about how well the rookie has performed over the summer.

"He's been amazing throughout camp," said Diggs. "You can see that everything is starting to slow down for him and he can just play, and make the plays. He's got all the talent in the world. He's having a great camp and I'm just excited to see where he goes."

In the Cowboys' preseason opener against the Denver Broncos, Bland showed that he's more than just a one-trick pony. Not only did he perform well playing on the slot but also the outside. Also, he put on display his willingness to get down and dirty and be a run supporter.

Bland mentioned how getting reps in multiple spots have gotten him to see the game in another way.

"I always like covering the receivers, but it's fun playing both inside and outside," Bland said. "It's fun to get a different view."

The exquisite play of Bland continued on Thursday at practice with the Chargers. After bobbling a near interception earlier, Bland hauled one in to end the scrimmage by boxing out the receiver and high pointing the ball in the left endzone.

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"That was my goal coming in – to make an impact from anywhere on the field," said Bland on Thursday. "That's my mentality every day, to make a play."

Bland certainly did that with three pass breakups and an interception against the Chargers. While Bland's play is encouraging and has him on a straight-line to the Cowboys' CB4 role, it has put a recent high draft pick in Dallas on notice.

Kelvin Joseph, who the Cowboys took in the second round in 2021, hasn't yet shown that he can overtake Anthony Brown for the CB2 spot, which is what he was drafted to do. Now, with Bland's rise, and Joseph not showing any real progress from his rookie campaign, his future with the Cowboys isn't all sunshine and roses, and he could be in Bland's rearview on the depth chart soon.

Jourdan Lewis may miss the remainder of the preseason after suffering a hamstring injury on Wednesday which led to Bland getting plenty of reps with the first-team defense against the Chargers. So, Bland will have a lot more opportunities to climb the depth chart and make himself a valuable piece of Dan Quinn's defense in 2022.

There's still quite a ways to go until the regular season starts, and Bland will have to keep building on what he's done, but his play up until this point shows he is going to be a huge factor in the Cowboys' cornerback room. Not just when it comes to his competition for depth positions, but also the starters, well, except Diggs of course.

Feature image via Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports