The Dallas Cowboys have a decision to make on a $92 million player before they kick off against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. And it’s one with short and long-term implications. That’s why I expect Dallas to test a few different scenarios over four quarters.

The question is where the Cowboys play cornerback DaRon Bland now that cornerback Cobie Durant is back from injury.

How the Cowboys’ secondary got here

The Cowboys opened the season with Bland starting outside and Durant on the opposite side. First-round rookie Caleb Downs took over the nickel spot, and Malik Hooker and Jalen Thompson started at safety. That was the Week 1 secondary.

Durant was a $5 million free agent signing. He wasn’t a home run, but he was a veteran addition with a starting floor. That was a big deal for a Cowboys team that frequently neglects free agency or approaches it only for low-risk, high-reward bargains. He was a solid signing, albeit not a massive one.

Then the injuries piled up, and there have been too many to keep count. Meanwhile, Bland has struggled in coverage to the point where some fans have called for him to be benched. Watch his performance in many of these games, and it’s hard to argue with them.

To be fair, Dallas hasn’t had many options to bench him with. Bland and Downs are the only players on defense playing 98% of the snaps. Before Durant’s return, sitting Bland meant turning to Ameer Speed and Shavon Revel Jr. That wasn’t an attractive scenario for the Cowboys, who are clearly higher on Bland than most of the fan base is.

Dallas did acquire Joey Porter Jr. via trade. Based on the team’s comments after the deal, the plan was for Porter to play boundary cornerback, on the shorter side of the field. He’d see more isolated looks and plenty of one-on-ones there. Bland would move to field corner, where he has more space. In the Cowboys’ eyes, that setup creates more playmaking chances for the player who set the NFL record for pick-sixes in a single season back in 2023.

Does Cobie Durant change the Cowboys’ minds?

Durant’s return raises a bigger question: Does Bland, who signed his $92 million extension last year, keep starting outside uncontested?

If the struggles continue, I don’t see how you do that. I don’t see how you avoid making Bland compete for his spot.

However, Dallas has been high on him for a long time and has never really questioned it. Even in January, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said they viewed Bland as someone who can shut down one side of the field.

So maybe the Cowboys don’t want to see what Durant brings to the table outside. In that case, Bland stays outside with Porter opposite him, and Durant moves to the slot. He has experience there, including during his time with the Los Angeles Rams. Maybe they do want Durant outside and let Bland play in the nickel, where his career started.

That would free Downs to slide back to safety, where Dallas is still missing starter Jalen Thompson. That is to say, the Cowboys would have a solid group of safeties, a potentially solid nickel, and two outside corners they like.

What to watch Monday night

I’ll be watching this decision from the opening snap. When the Eagles come out in 12 personnel and force the Cowboys into a base look, I expect Downs to play safety, as he has at times this season. Porter is going to play, too.

The real question is whether Dallas rotates Bland with Durant or makes it Bland’s show.

Personally, I’d like to see Bland fight for his job. I want the Cowboys to ask him to earn the starting spot at outside corner against Durant. Do they go that route, or do they put Durant at nickel to free up Downs?

Downs has had a rough rookie year in one specific sense. The Cowboys have asked him to do a lot. He has bounced between safety and nickel, and matchups haven’t driven those moves. Injuries have. Dallas has lost so many defensive backs that the coaching staff has had to put him wherever he’s needed most.

Whatever the Cowboys decide, the matchup works in their favor. Philadelphia is without its two starting wide receivers, Dontayvion Wicks and DeVonta Smith. The Eagles are also turning to backup quarterback Tanner McKee, with Jalen Hurts on injured reserve due to a blood clot.

That leaves Dallas plenty of room to experiment. How the Cowboys use that room should tell us a lot about how they really feel about their $92 million cornerback.