Cowboys Activate Trevon Diggs, Place DaRon Bland On IR
1:03pm: The Cowboys have activated Diggs and placed Bland on IR, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. Bland may require foot surgery.
11:17am: The Cowboys are expected to activate cornerback Trevon Diggs from injured reserve on Sunday, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The move will clear the path for Diggs to return from a two-month absence caused by a lingering knee injury and a concussion. However, he is unlikely to return to the starting role he occupied at the beginning of the year.
Diggs’ recovery and return to the field has been somewhat of a saga. He was designated to return from IR at the end of November and practiced for two weeks in a limited capacity. Diggs said he was expecting to play in Week 15 but was not activated ahead of the game. He clarified this week that he was healthy enough to play and still did not know why he was not activated, though he still was a limited participant in practice.
The Cowboys will make the procedural move to activate Diggs so that he does not revert to season-ending injured reserve, but that is no guarantee of a game day role. Recent updates have indicated a disconnect between player and team with some believing that the two sides will part ways this offseason. Diggs and the Cowboys have both stated that they envision their partnership extending into 2026, but most teams and players give that kind of an answer to such questions.
Starting cornerback DaRon Bland has been ruled out for Sunday’s matchup against the Chargers, so the Cowboys might need Diggs at some point during the game. He appears to be ready to play, but may no longer be a core part of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus‘ plans for this season. With Dallas eliminated from the playoffs and Diggs’ injury history, the team may be hoping that he can avoid a re-aggravation this season that could affect him into 2026.
Cowboys CB DaRon Bland May Undergo Foot Surgery, Likely Destined For IR
DaRon Bland is facing yet another foot surgery. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, the Cowboys cornerback is seeking a second opinion on a foot injury that may ultimately require surgery.
[RELATED: Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs Says He Is Healthy Enough To Play]
Bland missed 10 games in 2024 thanks to a stress fracture in his foot. The fourth-year player also missed a pair of games earlier this season with a foot issue, and he’s popped up on the injury report a few times this year with the same injury.
According to Archer, Bland hasn’t scheduled a surgery yet. Still, it sounds like the injury will likely sideline the defensive back for the rest of the 2025 campaign. Archer opines that Bland is likely destined for the injured reserve, which would keep him off the field for the rest of the regular season.
The former fifth-round pick emerged as a starter during his rookie campaign before having a prolific sophomore season. Bland finished that 2023 season with nine interceptions, five of which were returned for touchdowns (an NFL record). Unfortunately, the cornerback has been limited to only 19 appearances since that time. After grading Bland as the second-best CB in the NFL in 2023, Pro Football Focus has ranked the former All-Pro in the middle of the pack at his position in 2024 and 2025.
The Cowboys will be especially cautious with Bland’s injury after the team handed him a lucrative extension this past offseason. The cornerback inked a four-year, $92MM deal, including $50MM in guaranteed money. That extension has yet to kick in, and the Cowboys will surely want Bland to get past this persistent foot issue before he sees a significant jump in his cap hit.
As the Cowboys look to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, it will be interesting to see how the coaching staff manages their CB depth chart. Trevon Diggs was a surprise inactive for Sunday’s game against the Vikings, but the cornerback later revealed that he was healthy enough to play. After moving on from Kaiir Elam earlier this season, the Cowboys are currently eyeing a cornerback grouping that consists of Shavon Revel, Reddy Steward, and Caelen Carson.
Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs Says He Is Healthy Enough To Play
Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs was a surprise inactive for Sunday’s game against the Vikings, sparking questions about his future in Dallas.
Diggs, 27, has not played since Week 6 due to a concussion and a knee injury, though it was not the knee that required surgery in 2023 and 2024. He was placed on injured reserve on October 25 and returned to practice at the end of November.
After two weeks of practice, Diggs appeared ready to play against the Vikings and said he was expecting to do so. Instead, he will have to wait another week before being activated from IR and returning to in-game action. Even when he does, he does not seem guaranteed to have a role in the defense.
“Trevon and I sat down and we had a very detailed conversation on Saturday,” Schottenheimer said on Monday (via ). “I told him not only the reasons why but also the standards and expectations.”
Diggs said (via ESPN’s Todd Archer) that he was “upset” and did not know why he was inactive despite a Saturday sit-down with head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
““This week, I showed them what they wanted to see in practice and it’s still the same result,” Diggs said. “I don’t know what else I need to do or what to show. At this point I feel like it’s not even, it’s not up to me or what I do. It’s really up to them, and what they want to do. I’m just showing up every day. I’m going to go to work.”
Diggs, a 2020 second-round pick, took over a starting cornerback job as soon as he arrived in Dallas, but spent four games on injured reserve due to a foot fracture. He broke out in 2021 with 21 passes defended and a league-high 11 interceptions, though he also had a tendency to give up big plays. Diggs did not have as much ball production the following year, but his overall coverage improved substantially. That earned him a five-year, $97MM extension; since signing it, he has only played in 19 games.
Between the injuries and a seemingly strained relationship between player and team, Diggs could be on his way out of Dallas this offseason. He is owed $47MM over the next three years, per OverTheCap; a post-June 1 cut would save the Cowboys $15.5MM in 2026 cap space with $2.9MM in dead money in 2026 and 2027.
The Cowboys signed DaRon Bland to an extension to a four-year, $90MM extension – a far better value than Diggs’ deal – just before the season started. In addition to making outside additions, Dallas could also roll with 2024 fifth-rounder Caelen Carson and 2025 3rd rounder Shavon Revel, who have both seen plenty of playing time amid Diggs’ absence.
NFL DB Injury Updates: Seahawks, Steelers, Gonzalez, Bland, Johnson
Seahawks are nursing a banged-up secondary heading into Week 2 and will likely be without starting cornerback Devon Witherspoon and first-round safety Nick Emmanwori.
Witherspoon played every snap in Week 1 but didn’t practice this week due to a knee injury. He’s listed as doubtful on Seattle’s injury report and seems very unlikely to take the field. The injury is not thought to be serious, said head coach Mike Macdonald (via Michael Shawn-Dugar of The Athletic).
Emmanwori only played four snaps in his NFL debut before going down with a high ankle sprain. He didn’t participate this week, either, and was ruled out for Sunday’s game. Macdonald added that Emmanwori will avoid injured reserve for right now after mentioning the possibility earlier in the week, per Shawn-Dugar.
Witherspoon’s absence this weekend will force another Seahawks defender to step up in the slot, a decision that will be further complicated with Emmanwori sidelined. He could have been another option at nickel or lined up at safety with Julian Love in the slot; instead, Seattle will have to flip an outside cornerback into the slot or put inexperienced third-year safety Ty Okada on the field.
Here are some other secondary injury updates from around the NFL:
- Seattle will also be facing a depleted secondary on Sunday with Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (hamstring) joining DeShon Elliott (knee) on the sidelines, per Seahawks team reporter John Boyle. First-round defensive tackle Derrick Harmon will also have to wait another week before his NFL debut as he recovers from a knee injury.
- Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones confirmed (via All City DLLS’ Clarence Hill) that cornerback DaRon Bland would miss two to three weeks with a foot sprain. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer added that an IR placement is not expected at this time, per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News.
- Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez was ruled out for a second week in a row, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The 2023 first-round pick still hasn’t returned to practice since July 28 due to a hamstring injury.
- The Bears will get cornerback Jaylon Johnson back in Week 2 as he finished the week without an injury designation for Sunday’s game against the Lions.
Cowboys CB DaRon Bland To Miss Multiple Games
We saw an early rumor from ESPN’s Todd Archer that Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland “could be” out for a couple of weeks, but Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS confirmed that Bland will be out for at least two weeks with a right foot injury.
The 26-year-old missed 10 games last year due to a fracture in his left foot after leading the NFL with nine interceptions, 209 interception return yards, and five interceptions returned for touchdowns in his sophomore campaign in 2023 — the five scores in a single season were an NFL record. Bland was able to return from injury for the final seven games of the season, and though he didn’t tally any more interceptions, he still graded out favorably per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), ranking as the 33rd-best cornerback out of 116 players graded at the position.
Dallas only had one of their starting cornerbacks at a time in 2024. Trevon Diggs missed all but one of the final seven games Bland returned for at the end of last year as his knee began to flare up and eventually required major knee surgery. To deal with both injuries, the team leaned heavily on nickelback Jourdan Lewis, who’s no longer with the team, and fifth-round rookie Caelen Carson, who’s currently on injured reserve.
The absence of Bland hurts a bit more considering that Diggs didn’t appear to be ready for a full workload in Week 1. While Bland and trade acquisition Kaiir Elam played all 62 defensive snaps in the team’s season-opening loss, Diggs was only on the field for 26 snaps. With Carson on IR, rookie third-round pick Shavon Revel starting the season on the reserve/non-football injury list, and second-year backup corner Josh Butler starting the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, the secondary in Dallas is getting thin.
The team’s healthy cornerbacks currently consist of Elam, seventh-round rookie Trikweze Bridges, Reddy Steward and long-time reserve corner C.J. Goodwin. Diggs is listed without an injury designation but still may be working his way back to full strength. Goodwin, a veteran special teamer, hasn’t made an NFL start since his rookie year in 2016, Steward appeared in one game for the Bears last year, and last week was his second NFL game appearance.
Things may be getting desperate in Dallas. A two-week absence for Bland may be manageable, but the Cowboys may still feel the need to fill out some depth at the position. Veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore remains unsigned as a free agent, as does former Chargers corner Asante Samuel Jr. Samuel is still a free agent likely because of his injury issues, though, so he might not seem appealing to the Cowboys, but Gilmore started 15 games in his age-34 season in Minnesota in 2024.
Regardless, Dallas will hope to avoid a repeat of 2024 with Bland. Perhaps he’ll be back with no issues in two weeks’ time, but if there’s any risk of further injury to their young star cornerback, they might do well to let him sit a bit longer. Coming off his first game under his new four-year, $92MM extension, the priority will not be getting him back sooner but making sure he’s fully good to go.
Cowboys Extend CB DaRon Bland
SEPTEMBER 1: Bland’s extension is worth a maximum (rather than a base value) of $92MM, as detailed by ESPN’s Todd Archer. A $22MM signing bonus is present, and Bland’s base salaries in 2025 and ’26 are locked in at signing. His $12MM salary for 2027 is guaranteed for injury and vests in March of that year. The same structure is in place for annual $1MM roster bonuses.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports the deal includes a $19MM option bonus in 2028. Annual escalators worth up to $500K each are in place based on individual and team performances (with five and seven interceptions marking the thresholds and full pay being tied to whether or not the team reaches the playoffs the previous season). Salary de-escalators are also present instead of workout bonuses. In all, the four-year pact is worth $90MM in base value with $36.35MM fully guaranteed and another $13MM set to lock in midway through the deal.
AUGUST 31: The Cowboys have agreed to a four-year extension with cornerback DaRon Bland, as FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer was first to report. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds the deal is worth $92MM and includes $50MM in guaranteed money. The Cowboys have since announced the extension.
We heard back in April that Dallas was eyeing long-term deals for Bland, tight end Jake Ferguson, left guard Tyler Smith, and kicker Brandon Aubrey. Now, a little over month after extending Ferguson, Bland is on the books for the foreseeable future.
Of course, the situation involving former Cowboys edge defender Micah Parsons has been one of the NFL’s key storylines this offseason. Parsons, a premier, in-his-prime talent, was not originally viewed as a realistic trade candidate, but the relationship between player and team deteriorated in a very public way, and Dallas recently dealt the four-time Pro Bowler to the Packers for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. While the trade and the circumstances that gave rise to it have earned owner Jerry Jones a great deal of criticism, it did free up some funds to be allocated elsewhere.
Indeed, as Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News writes, team sources said in the wake of the Parsons trade that the Cowboys would be active on the extension front. As such, it would not be surprising to see Smith and/or Aubrey get a new contract in short order.
A report at the end of July suggested Dallas and Bland were engaged in contract talks, and those conversations progressed to the point that Bland was hoping to put pen to paper before Week 1. He has gotten his wish, and in so doing he has landed just outside the top-five earners at the cornerback position in terms of average annual value. His new-money average of $23MM/year is just behind the likes of Patrick Surtain ($24MM), Jalen Ramsey ($24.1MM), and Jaycee Horn ($25MM).
Bland followed Trevon Diggs to the first-team All-Pro level in 2023, returning an NFL-record five interceptions for touchdowns. The fifth-round find became a vital piece in Dallas’ defense that season, shifting to an outside CB role in the wake of Diggs’ September ACL tear. Bland, who intercepted an NFL-most nine passes that season, now joins Diggs as a high-priced corner on the Cowboys’ defense. Pro Football Focus ranked Bland second among qualified corners in 2023 and 33rd during his seven-game 2024.
Entering his age-26 season, Bland also saw his extension leverage strengthened by Diggs’ injury trouble. The Cowboys paid Diggs (via a five-year, $97MM extension) before the 2023 season but have not seen the 2021 first-team All-Pro live up to the deal. The knee trouble Diggs ran into in 2023 resurfaced last year, and he missed the team’s offseason program and training camp due to the rehab effort. Diggs is off Dallas’ PUP list but is a question mark going into the season.
Bland is no stranger to injury trouble himself, having suffered a foot fracture during training camp last year. That kept him out 10 games, as the Cowboys activated him in late October but did not use him in a game until their Thanksgiving tilt. This extension certainly reveals confidence Bland can anchor Dallas’ CB corps moving forward. The team can release Diggs for just less than $6MM in dead money in 2026.
With third-round rookie Shavon Revel on the team’s reserve/NFI list after an ACL tear sustained during his final East Carolina season, Bland will be a crucial piece to Matt Eberflus‘ defense — especially considering one of the NFL’s lead pass-rushing pieces is now in Wisconsin. The Cowboys have question marks at their other CB posts for the time being, with trade acquisition Kaiir Elam — a former first-rounder the Bills never trusted as a regular starter — set to play a key role while Diggs and Revel recover.
Bland’s usage will be interesting to track this year as well. After playing a near-full-time slot role as a rookie, he has largely been a boundary defender. This offseason, however, the Cowboys had Bland working in the slot regularly. A setup where he plays inside on passing downs, alongside Diggs and Elam/Revel, would make sense for the Cowboys. This contract also checks in well north of where the 49ers went for their multipurpose CB (Deommodore Lenoir) last year and miles ahead of the slot-only market.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Cowboys CB DaRon Bland Hoping For Extension Before Week 1
Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland indicated this week (via Clarence Hill of All City DLLS) that he wants to finalize a contract extension before the regular season.
The 2022 fifth-rounder is entering the final season of his rookie contract and his representation has been negotiating with the team this summer.
Former Day 3 picks are sometimes willing to accept a more team-friendly deal in exchange for an upfront signing bonus that can be worth many multiples of their entire rookie contract. Bland has made less than $3MM to date, per OverTheCap; he outplayed that figure in his rookie year alone, not to mention his All-Pro 2023. The potential of cashing in this summer rather than next spring may incentivize him to get a deal done quickly.
However, Bland will be receiving an upgraded salary of $5.346MM this season as a result of the NFL’s Proven Performance Escalator program. That may allow for a little more patience as he tries to capitalize on a cornerback market that exploded this offseason. A stress fracture in training camp last year sidelined Bland until Week 12, and he wasn’t the same playmaker in coverage compared to his first two years when he got back on the field. A healthy season at his pre-injury form could drive his price higher if a deal isn’t struck before the season, giving the Cowboys some motivation to find some common ground as well.
The Cowboys may have one other piece of cornerback business to address before Week 1. With Trevon Diggs and Shavon Revel both weeks away from taking the field, the secondary lacks a clear third starting cornerback behind Bland and Kaiir Elam, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. That could bring about a veteran signing before the regular season depending on second-year corner Caelen Carson‘s ability to recover from a knee injury.
Cowboys, CB DaRon Bland Engaging In Extension Talks
We knew back in April that the Cowboys were eyeing extensions for offensive lineman Tyler Smith, cornerback DaRon Bland, tight end Jake Ferguson, and kicker Brandon Aubrey.
Ferguson got his this weekend, and Smith switched up his representation after the team picked up his fifth-year option. While, so far, it’s been crickets for Aubrey, Bland told the media this week that his agent has been in talks with the team on a new deal, per Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS.
“Definitely Dallas is always where I want to be,” said Bland (via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News). “Hopefully we can get it done.”
The 2022 fifth-rounder is looking to cash in on a cornerback market that grew to $30MM this offseason. Though he may replace Jourdan Lewis as Dallas’ primary slot corner, he will likely want to be paid as one of the league’s top outside cornerbacks.
He entered the Cowboys’ starting lineup midway through his rookie year and led the defense with five interceptions. Bland then led the NFL in 2023 with nine interceptions, 209 return yards, and five pick-sixes on his way to first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, as well as a fifth-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He then took a step back in 2024; after recovering from a training camp stress fracture, Bland logged zero interceptions in seven games and allowed a 105.7 passer rating when targeted.
If recent negotiations in Dallas are any indication, Bland may have to wait a while for his payday. Last year, the Cowboys extended CeeDee Lamb late in training camp and Dak Prescott just before Week 1, and the team still hasn’t signed Micah Parsons to a new deal. Bland has another year left on his rookie contract, which would allow contract talks to continue until next March (and potentially longer if Dallas uses the franchise tag).
However, Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones pushed back on the idea that the Cowboys draw out negotiations with their top players.
“I don’t think there is a pattern here,” said Jones (via The Athletic’s Jon Machota). “We don’t drag deals out. We do deals when there’s an opportunity to do a deal. Certainly, no one knows what goes on internally with a particular negotiation. Sometimes players and agents aren’t ready to pull the trigger until they see other cards played.”
Jones went on to say that he does not want to overpay just to get a deal done early, especially with players who want to remain in Dallas. Bland seems to fall into that category, so he may have to wait his turn to put pen to paper unless he accepts a team-friendly deal.
Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs Expected To Miss Start Of Season; Team Not Pressed To Make CB Addition
It appears as if Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs will indeed miss time in 2025. Diggs, who just finished the first year of the five-year, $97MM extension he landed in July 2023, began battling injuries shortly after signing the deal, and Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News confirms the Alabama product is not expected to be ready for the start of the upcoming season.
Diggs, 27 in September, earned First Team All-Pro acclaim in 2021 after leading the league with a whopping 11 interceptions. He put forth another Pro Bowl effort the following season, which triggered the big-money extension. Unfortunately, Diggs played just two games in 2023 due to a torn ACL, and he played through a calf injury for the first 10 games of the 2024 campaign before his knee flared up and forced him to miss all but one contest the rest of the way.
While the new injury was in the same knee in which he suffered the ACL tear, the two ailments are unrelated. Nonetheless, Diggs’ second knee problem necessitated surgery, and despite his hopes to be in the Week 1 lineup, we have been hearing for some time that his early-season availability is in doubt.
Diggs is one of a handful of players on Dallas’ CB depth chart dealing with health concerns. Third-round rookie Shavon Revel suffered a torn ACL of his own in his final year at East Carolina, and though he is presently expected to return in the middle of training camp, it is fair to wonder how effective he will be given the nature of his injury and the fact that he will not have had the benefit of a full offseason program in advance of his first professional season.
Second-year player Caelen Carson ended his rookie slate on IR and underwent shoulder surgery this offseason. Luckily, Hoyt indicates Carson will be a full-go for training camp, and the writer also says the Cowboys are comfortable with the current makeup of their secondary.
In other words, the club does not feel a pressing need to make an outside addition at this point, even with Diggs’ presumed absence. We have already heard that trade acquisition Kaiir Elam is penciled in as one starter, and DaRon Bland – who missed the first 10 games of the 2024 season due to a stress fracture – has another starting job secured. Although he has not seen much time in the slot in his career, Bland took plenty of reps in that role in spring practices as Dallas seeks a replacement for former slot defender Jourdan Lewis.
Elam has generally failed to live up to his status as a former first-round pick of the Bills, and uncertainty abounds throughout the rest of the position group, but it appears the Cowboys will take a wait-and-see approach with respect to a veteran signing. Hoyt still believes such a move is a distinct possibility, and he names former Cowboy Stephon Gilmore – who was seen at the team facility before the draft – as a potential target.
Gilmore, the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year who has had a nomadic existence over the last few seasons, was a full-time starter for Dallas in 2023. He played reasonably well, limiting opposing passers to a QB rating of 82.7 and a 55.8% completion percentage, and he hopes to play in 2025.
CB Kaiir Elam Expected To Play Big Role In Dallas
The Cowboys’ front office has been busy during the offseason, sending away lots of draft capital to bring in players like George Pickens, Kenneth Murray, Joe Milton, and Kaiir Elam. Pickens was clearly brought in to be WR2 across from CeeDee Lamb, Murray will fill in for the loss of Eric Kendricks, and Milton will be QB2 behind Dak Prescott. Elam, though, comes into an interesting situation. While he was never a full-time starter during his three years in Buffalo, Elam is expected to have a significant role on the Cowboys defense, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. 
While Elam never quite lived up to his first-round status with the Bills, he put forth fairly consistent performances each season. Though injuries have caused him to miss significant time (22 of a possible 51 games) in Buffalo, Dallas will be hoping he can come through during a time when injuries are hitting the team hard.
Last season, the Cowboys saw both Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland miss significant amounts of time. Bland quickly got back up to speed and began to show signs of returning to the All-Pro greatness he displayed in 2023. Diggs, though, is working his way back from knee surgery, and while he is aiming for a return by the time the season opener rolls around, his timeline for return is certainly in question. Mix in the loss of Jourdan Lewis to Jacksonville in free agency after a strong year in the slot, and the team has several questions to answer at the cornerback position.
Part of the solution could be third-round draft pick Shavon Revel, who was receiving first-round buzz prior to suffering a torn ACL early into his final season at East Carolina. Revel should be ready to play by the time the regular season begins, but he’s not projected to return until sometime mid-training camp.
With things the way they are, Machota makes it clear: “Bland is one starter, Elam is another.” As we discussed at the end of May, Bland has been working more this offseason in the slot. He’s excelled both inside and outside during his short time in Dallas, which makes him extremely valuable to the team in this situation. In a contract year, Bland likely isn’t going to want to establish himself as a nickelback, considering the highest-paid nickelback in the NFL (Taron Johnson, $10.25MM per year) makes just over half the salary of the highest-paid outside cornerback (Denzel Ward, $20.1MM per year). He’ll need to hope, instead, that the Cowboys will reward him for his flexibility and versatility.
So, Bland and Elam are starting, then when an additional cornerback comes on, it could be Revel that comes in, shifting Bland inside. Or it could be Israel Mukuamu coming into the slot, keeping Bland out wide. Mukuamu has never really played significant snaps in any season, but last year, he saw more time at nickelback than he did at any other secondary position.
When Diggs comes back, things will be clearer. He and Bland will start together, and Bland can shift inside whenever Elam or Revel come in for sets that require more defensive backs. Until then, though, Elam is expected to play a major role in stabilizing the position group to open up the season.