The All-Pro cornerback blames narrow cleats and his size-14 feet for recurring fractures, raising questions about his long-term durability as he fights to regain record-setting form.
FRISCO - DaRon Bland's foot injury issue is unfortunate and odd.
And so is the Dallas Cowboys cornerback's explanation for why he's got those foot issues.
Bland has star quality, no question about that. When healthy, he is literally a record-setting ballhawk who earned an All-Pro spot for his dazzling showing in 2023.
But then came the injury plague.
As Bland told us last week: “It’s definitely frustrating. Because it’s my first time ever getting hurt being in the league and having the same injury.”
That "same injury'' is all about a fracture in his left foot that first popped up in training camp in 2024. He underwent surgery with the hope of a rebound.
But after he had the surgery, the injury recurred and he again required surgery this year.
So, add it up, and Bland has played only 19 games in the past two seasons. And when he has played? He hasn't performed well, as he's allowed a passer rating of 104.3 over those two seasons.
So what's the problem? Is it really the shoes?
Said Bland: “Trying to figure out the cleats, some being too narrow, like that. …''
What's he talking about? Bland is saying that he has size-14 feet but also narrow feet ... and that somehow that's led to his problems.
That raises all sorts of questions; if a guy has a long, narrow foot, he's more likely to get hurt? And there's not a footwear way to protect him?
There are also questions about Bland's health for 2026. Bland - who makes a pricy $22 million APY - sat out OTAs and the team’s mandatory minicamp at The Star, but it does seem that that decision was largely precautionary, as he insisted he could've practiced if needed.
Indeed, to our eyes, he moved well and assertively in his sideline sessions with trainer Britt Brown.
But the team was just being cautious with him - wisely so, in our view - in anticipation of him being ready for training camp in Oxnard at the end of July.
But this problem is so close to being chronic ... and this explanation regarding "narrow feet'' and "wrong cleats'' seems so odd ... the concern does linger.
And even Bland admits that.
"There’s always a chance of re-injury,'' he said. "But there’s a lower chance this time.”
