A lot of Dallas Cowboys fans would prefer if Micah Parsons were still on the team, but Jerry Jones and the front office have done a commendable job rebounding.
If you combine the Cowboys’ dealings with the Packers, Dallas essentially turned Micah Parsons and a fourth-round pick into multiple first-rounders, Kenny Clark, and Rashan Gary. Factor in that moving Parsons also created the flexibility to land world-beating defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, and you can start to see a path to Jones winning the trade.
Having said that, the moves Jones made immediately after the Parsons blockbuster have not aged particularly well. Seemingly to prove a point that he isn't scared to pay players, the 83-year-old gave cornerback DaRon Bland a four-year, $92 million extension three days after Parsons got dealt.
It felt like an overpay at the time, and Bland did little to reward Jones’ faith in 2025. It’s no surprise that Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon labeled him Dallas’ most overpaid player.
"The 2022 fifth-round pick has one good season under his belt, but that was enough to earn him a four-year, $90 million deal. He's missed significant time while being consistently rocked in coverage when on the field the last two seasons, all as the sixth-highest-paid corner in the sport."
The Dallas Cowboys desperately need DaRon Bland to bounce back in 2026
Bland is now three years removed from a groundbreaking 2023 season in which he set an NFL record with six interceptions returned for a touchdown.
The former All-Pro suffered a stress fracture in his left foot in 2024 training camp that required surgery and sidelined him for the first half of the season. He returned to play seven games and delivered a mixed bag of results, which is almost expected following a major injury.
Expecting Bland to bounce back in 2025, the Cowboys signed him to a four-year, $92 million extension. Unfortunately, he turned in the worst year of his career, allowing five touchdowns, 12.2 yards per catch, and a 108.8 passer rating when targeted, per PFF.
To add injury to insult, Bland missed Weeks 2 and 3 with a right foot injury and ultimately landed on injured reserve for the final three games due to a left foot injury. It was later revealed that Bland needed another surgery on his left foot, which he underwent in January.
Unlike Trevon Diggs, Jones is pleased with how Bland has attacked his rehab, saying that the 26-year-old has "been everything you could ask for relative to his rehab" and "done the best that he's had to work with as it turns out with his injury."
While encouraging, it doesn't change that 2026 is a make-or-break year for Bland. Only the first two years of his extension were guaranteed. In other words, Bland isn't as "overpaid" as Gagnon leads on. More importantly, Dallas has a potential easy out of his contract in 2027.
According to OverTheCap, the Cowboys can cut Bland with a post-June 1 designation and save $13 million in cap space while shouldering a palatable $4.313 million in dead money.
Nobody is rooting for that, but Bland must prove he can stay healthy. He has the skill set to thrive under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, but two left foot surgeries in as many years are bound to raise questions about his future.