3 projected Cowboys starters who need the most playing time in preseason

3. DaRon Bland

The biggest breakout player from last season was DaRon Bland. The fifth round pick had five interceptions in eight starts and entered camp as the third corner on the depth chart behind Trevon Diggs and Stephon Gilmore. After a strong rookie season, most expect Bland to step up as corner number three on a defense with arguably one of the best secondaries in the NFL.

Bland's received more reps during practice primarily due to Jourdan Lewis being on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. The slot corner is still rehabbing from his injury and there is no timetable for his return as of yet. With Lewis still out, Bland is picking up right where he left off in 2023.

He showed flashes the first week of camp with some good pass breakups and coverage on fellow backup receiver Jalen Tolbert. Bland has cover skills that Dallas has been lacking behind their first-string corners for quite a while and he give this cornerback room nothing but depth.

Bland will likely start game one of the preseason against the Jaguars since the coaches already know what they have in Diggs and Gilmore. Even though he is coming off a breakout season, a good amount of game action before the opener could be nothing but beneficial for Bland's continuing development. Even established young players play in the preseason and Bland should see some action.

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