Yahoo Autos To save secondary, Cowboys should consider moving DaRon Bland outside
DaRon Bland has been a ray of light in an otherwise dismal year of cornerback play for the Dallas Cowboys. The fifth-round rookie from Fresno State has arguably been one of the Cowboys’ most pleasant surprises from their most recent draft class. Bland has steadily moved up the depth chart since his selection in April. From the fringe of the roster to dime corner to nickel, Bland has risen to every challenge and quite possibly helped save the Cowboys season in the process.
With three interceptions and four pass deflections in the past three games, Bland has become the clear No. 2 cornerback in Dallas. While he’s largely played the nickel role for the Cowboys this season, he may be destined for an even bigger challenge down the final stretch; replacing the injured Anthony Brown on the boundary.
Kelvin Joseph on borrowed time
(Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
When Brown fell to a season-ending Achilles injury on December 4, Kelvin Joseph became the “next man up” on the outside. It’s not exactly controversial to say in Joseph’s two starts since he’s been about as trustworthy as a McDonald’s shake machine. Cold? Maybe.
On Monday, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn declared the spot opposite Pro Bowl cornerTrevon Diggs as an open competition.
“We’re going to work through all the stuff and continue to find the best fit…Certainly the competition is up for that spot.”
Moving an inside player to the outside is hardly anything new in Dallas. Brown was an inside-turned-outside player himself. The Cowboys always preferred him inside but since need often forced him to the boundary, that’s where he usually played.
Previous Precedent
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The symmetry is right there. A Day-3 pick, Brown played 86% of his early rookie snaps in the slot. An injury shifted him to the outside where he played 86% of his snaps on the boundary from that point forward. Bland has played around 78% of his snaps in the slot thus far.
Brown was primarily a boundary corner in Year 2, back to the slot in Year 3 and Year 4, then finally settled as a boundary guy in his fifth season, 2020.
Before Brown, it was Orlando Scandrick who bounced outside because of need. While Brown moved outside and stayed outside most of the game, Scandrick often bounced between the two mid-game, moving inside to cover the slot when the Cowboys went from base to nickel personnel.
Can he do it?
At the end of the day, there are a number of ways the Cowboys can play it and just because DaRon Bland is at his best manning the inside, doesn’t mean he’s not also the best solution outside.
Keep in mind, Bland had extensive experience on the outside at Fresno State. Measuring a bit over six feet with a wingspan of nearly 77 inches, Bland is long enough from a measurable perspective to handle the responsibilities of playing the boundary in Quinn’s defense.
Even though most evaluators saw him as a late-round pick, assessment of his ability on the outside included potential. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, said this while grading him as a priority free agent:
Bland smothers receivers on the outside and plays with the speed and physicality that pop on the screen. His twitch is slightly delayed at the top of routes, although his eye use and route recognition showed encouraging improvements in 2021 as he adjusted to the FBS.
Who the Cowboys would choose to play alongside Bland and Diggs and in what specific roles remains to be seen, but it appears all options are on the table. The best man for the job could very well be determined by match-ups and planed coverages. This could be at a fluid situation the rest of the season, and maybe for several years.
