DaRon Bland's injury leaves a glaring gap in the Dallas Cowboys' defense

The Dallas Cowboys will open their 2024 NFL season without star cornerback DaRon Bland, who suffered a foot injury.

According to Nick Harris of the Cowboys' official website, Bland will be out between 6 and 8 weeks with a stress fracture in his foot. The injury will require surgery and the timeline for his return calls for him to miss at least four games to start the season.

Bland is entering his third NFL season. A fifth-round pick out of Fresno State in 2022, he quickly established himself as one of Dallas' top defensive stars as a rookie.

Since then, Bland has become one of the best defensive backs in football when it comes to catching balls. No one has more interceptions (14) than he has since entering the league.

It goes without saying that Bland's injury will increase the Cowboys' difficulty level in the first half of the 2024 NFL season.

So who will be in the spotlight on Sundays this fall, playing alongside star Trevon Diggs? Harris said the team could give that role to Caelen Carson and Andrew Booth until Bland is ready to play again after his injury layoff.