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DQ Report, Week 12 - The Daron Bland Episode
The Cowboys defense has discovered a high-quality starting corner out of necessity.
BOB STURM
NOV 28, 2023
The Cowboys beat Washington with considerable strength and ease in a game that feels like ancient history. They won 45-10 and to be completely honest, as we sit here with the amount of time that has passed since last Thursday, there is barely a single Washington offensive snap that I remember, save for the one DaRon Bland ran back to set an NFL record.
I want to spend this episode writing about him, primarily.
First, for those who want the nuts and bolts of the game, I will do my duty, but I am absolutely “on to Seattle” in my head. It just wasn’t very memorable to find some points of conflict or intrigue that can measure up to Bland’s accomplishment will not be terribly easy.
So, here we go with the facts and figures for those who want them:
Washington did offer some resistance their first four drives. They have an offense that moves the ball. They are top-10 in passing yards and explosive plays and any of us who have watched Washington over the years know that we shouldn’t act like that is nothing. Eric Bieniemy and Sam Howell both have done enough to at least consider their places in the next iteration of whatever Washington becomes. They had 13 first downs and 10 points inside the two-minute warning of the first half. That is not going to set any records, but it also isn’t horrendous.
But, Dallas clearly came out in the second half and decided enough was enough.
The shutout they pitched in the final 30 minutes is more like it and although Washington did march into Dallas territory several times, it all felt academic as we were looking for pie in the kitchen.
NOTE: As we continue to alter these graphics so all can enjoy, we will put a checkmark with the green (for our colorblind audience) to denote that this is “above average” and something for red which signifies below average. If you just see the white ink, we will put that in the realm of “average or neutral”. For instance, Washington had the ball for nearly 37 minutes but lost by five touchdowns. We are not going to fret too much about losing time of possession in this case. Hope that sort of makes sense moving forward.
Overall, it was more of the same from Dallas when it comes to a larger picture of the performance. In fact, let me post the overall game-by-game results and show you what we are talking about.
The 376 yards from Washington is actually a departure from what we have seen recently as it is the 3rd most yards allowed this season. But, the yards per play show us that 5.0 is right in line with other solid weeks. When you start giving up 6.3 (San Francisco) or a ridiculous 7.5 at Arizona, that is when we get concerned. Honestly, Dallas sat back in zones on Thursday and kind of allowed Washington to take their tiny chunks. If I were to guess why, it would be that they were playing their 3rd game in 12 days and once they were up a couple scores were ok with coasting. I do not blame them at all.
NEXT GEN SAM HOWELL
Here is Howell’s throw chart and it isn’t bad.
I don’t mind him and am interested in his future. I would just say Dallas wanted to play zone and keep any explosives from happening. There were three, but all three were the types that got them out to midfield and did not register any haunting memories at all. Dallas played contain well.
SPLASH PLAYS - WK 12
Big game for Osa Odighizuwa, Johnathan Hankins, and Chauncey Golston as they combined for eight splashes. Add in Dorance Armstrong and Neville Gallimore and that is a huge day from the defensive tackles. They do need that moving forward for sure. Seattle and Philadelphia the next two weeks will be big matchups inside.
2023 Splash Play Leaderboard
Here is your leaderboard for the year so far. We have added in Defensive Touchdowns as a column at the end and that shoots Bland up to 2nd place. What a year he is having. Parsons will not be happy with his pace this year, but we all know he is doing just fine.
Again, on to Seattle.
Ok, the rest of this piece today is going to be about our guest of honor, 2nd year cornerback DaRon Bland.
Allow me to start with the Cowboys PR Notes from Thursday that are listed below.
Perhaps we can stop here and make this very easy. Bland has more pick-sixes since September than any Cowboys player has had in their career. That is short circuiting my brain more than the fact that no NFL player of any kind has ever returned five pick-sixes in a season. Just amazing.
Here they are on a profootballreference search list:
And here they are on video for us all to enjoy.
No. 1 from Week 1 vs the Giants:
This one combined the powers of Trevon Diggs hitting Saquon Barkley and Bland playing the slot flying to the ball and showing how getting there is how we make plays.
No. 2 from Week 4 vs the Patriots:
This one was on a day where I could not believe how reckless Mac Jones was with the football. He flirted with this one for about three different throws. It was kind of when I decided Mac Jones is not the answer up there. This is a QB making a very bad decision.
No. 3 from Week 8 vs the Rams:
Here was the occasion where Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp showed they are not always on the exact same page. This one seemed to be where Stafford expected Kupp to zig and he instead zagged. That put the ball right between Bland’s 2 and 6. But, we accept gifts here.
No. 4 from Week 11 vs the Panthers:
This one in Carolina was a rookie QB not throwing the crosser out far enough in front of his man corner chasing Jonathan Mingo. Bland’s recovery speed here and nose for the ball are on full display. This is elite stuff.
And finally the record breaker, No. 5 from Week 12 vs the Commanders:
These tight formations have one corner near the line and one corner back a bit. Bland is the back corner, so you expect him to be playing with some level of caution, but we should know how defenders think when they are up big in the 2nd half. Time to go hunting for sacks and interceptions (depending on the position of the defender). Some might call it “stat hunting” but that is too cynical. Let’s call it “closing games” here.
Regardless, he is recognizing a route and driving much harder than Howell is expecting against Jahan Dotson. These NFL corners are amazing and he jumps another route wonderfully.
We need to look at this runback from the end zone view because it is wonderful:
Now, here is where everyone starts to realize that he has a chance at this record. If I didn’t know better, the Commanders knew, too, because the way Terry McLaurin, Brian Robinson, and Howell all get back to save the touchdown is impressive for a team down this bad, this late in a game. Nobody was left on their couch as he cut back across Howell and Robinson and McLaurin ran into each-other allowing Bland into the end zone for this amazing record moment.
What a scene and what a player.
But, here is what I want to finish with today. The questions of what does this mean and how good is this player.
DaRon Bland just set an all-time record for pick-sixes in a season. So is he a defensive player of the year player?
Probably not.
Let’s be honest, this is and has been a three horse race all year between Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, and TJ Watt. Bland is now at the top of the “others” list, but still not terribly close to those three.
Why? Well, two obvious reasons. One, he has not affected games like those three guys. If we are honest, nobody on the planet would take him over Parsons if you could poach a Cowboys defender. Nobody. And the other is that most of the league is learning who he is and where did the Cowboys find him?
Those two reasons are big and while I love the kid, I have no issue with these two truths. Also, I will tell you that pick-sixes are like grand slam home runs. They are important and they are impressive, but they are not really repeatable.
That is because there are too many things out of your control. You cannot control if your teammates can load the bases or if the opponent will give you a chance. It is not really a true measure of your standing amongst league defenders because the more your fame grows, the less they throw at you in a spot where you can make them pay.
In other words, your anonymity is actually a big advantage.
But, wait, I have great news! If DaRon Bland never gets another pick-six in his career, the evidence is starting to indicate that this is more than fine. Because the repeatable parts of his performance indicate he is a very good NFL cornerback.
This, as you may recall, is in start contrast to the 2021 discussions about Trevon Diggs and his 11 interception season. That year, he allowed over 1,000 yards in coverage (the most by any DB in the NFL) and over 400 yards after catch (the 2nd most in the NFL). His coverage grade that year was a mediocre 65 from PFF which ranked 80th.
Basically, his down-to-down play was poor and he was seen as a gambling ball hawk. Yes, the interceptions are great, but do you simply give those profits back when you lose and a big play heads the other direction?
Now, here is the great news from Bland through 12 weeks.
Bland has given up 353 yards in coverage this season which ranks him 47th-most in the NFL and just 102 yards after the catch which is 52nd-most. In other words, he is fantastic. And, this is verified by the 91.2 grade from PFF which is ranking him as the best coverage corner in the entire NFL.
If you know nothing else about this player, it is this! Without a single interception this year, he would still be considered a wonderful success story from the guy who was thought of as competing for the starting slot job with Jourdan Lewis (and not a lock to win it when Lewis fully healed) to a guy you feel good saying is a starting outside corner with Trevon Diggs in 2024-2025. Incredible season and he should be amazingly proud.
I want to end this by going back to April of 2022 and my film study of him at Fresno State which I published at the Athletic. I thought it might be fun to review what I saw then when the Cowboys selected him in the 5th round:
Pick 5/167: DaRon Bland, Fresno State (6-0, 197), Jersey No. 1
Bland has an interesting story of being overlooked quite a bit. He was a no-star recruit from Northern California who played three seasons at Sacramento State — where he played well and also competed in track — before transferring for the 2021 season to Fresno State. In both spots, he became a starter and demonstrated he was a much better player than prospect. He did not receive an invitation to the NFL Combine after his final year. He was, however, a player the Cowboys had targeted to be a “30 visit” and therefore him on their list of players to grab on Day 3 at the right price. We now know that this price was Pick No. 167. At his pro day, he ran a 4.46 40, with reasonable numbers in the broad jump and vertical leap as well as the always mandatory arm length of 32 inches, which puts him right there at what Dan Quinn has always targeted for his corners. He was the 22nd cornerback taken as the 44th-rated corner by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.
Positives: Bland has a nice combination of measurables that the Cowboys seek and a disposition that says he will be the type of corner they really like on Day 3 — one who plays with a proper amount of physicality against the run and pass plays at the line of scrimmage (like bubble screens) and helps on all four of the special teams early in his career. He appears to have strong ball skills in that he is punching at the ball, sitting on routes and generally looking to make plays. He reacts well to the receiver and is able to manage things very well in coverage. He also has very impressive make-up speed.
Concerns: We would start with that he has been overlooked at seemingly every level and when you start there at this position, which is as traits-based as any position on the field, you must have some level of pause. At the same time, some of those overlooked players develop a mentality that causes them to play angry. His hips are a bit tighter than you would like which means a player’s reaction time at the top of a receiver’s stem is a count behind. This actually might affect zone coverage as much as man and is something he will need to continue to progress with as a defender.
Overall: There is never a bad time to take a cornerback in the draft and the fact that the Cowboys loved this player all along and targeted him early in the fifh round looks like a great fit. Further, with Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown continuously playing huge roles on the team (but also with price tags that have risen), the Cowboys continuing to try to push them with rookies is never a bad plan. I anticipate they will bring him along slowly and allow him to prove himself on special teams in the early going, but there is every reason to believe we better get to know him well through his initial rookie deal. He has a chance to grow into a piece on this defense. I earmarked Bland to be in the mix pretty quickly.
We know I have plenty of misses in this process, but I am pretty proud of this report. It actually seems to have held up pretty well.
Anyway, he is a tremendous story. Don’t expect a handful of pick-sixes every year, but do expect that the Cowboys may not need to bring back Stephon Gilmore next year if they would rather trust Bland to pair well with Diggs moving forward.
Sometimes our discoveries are out of necessity. Without the Diggs ACL, we would have never discovered most of this.
The Cowboys defense has discovered a high-quality starting corner out of necessity.
BOB STURM
NOV 28, 2023
The Cowboys beat Washington with considerable strength and ease in a game that feels like ancient history. They won 45-10 and to be completely honest, as we sit here with the amount of time that has passed since last Thursday, there is barely a single Washington offensive snap that I remember, save for the one DaRon Bland ran back to set an NFL record.
I want to spend this episode writing about him, primarily.
First, for those who want the nuts and bolts of the game, I will do my duty, but I am absolutely “on to Seattle” in my head. It just wasn’t very memorable to find some points of conflict or intrigue that can measure up to Bland’s accomplishment will not be terribly easy.
So, here we go with the facts and figures for those who want them:
Washington did offer some resistance their first four drives. They have an offense that moves the ball. They are top-10 in passing yards and explosive plays and any of us who have watched Washington over the years know that we shouldn’t act like that is nothing. Eric Bieniemy and Sam Howell both have done enough to at least consider their places in the next iteration of whatever Washington becomes. They had 13 first downs and 10 points inside the two-minute warning of the first half. That is not going to set any records, but it also isn’t horrendous.
But, Dallas clearly came out in the second half and decided enough was enough.
The shutout they pitched in the final 30 minutes is more like it and although Washington did march into Dallas territory several times, it all felt academic as we were looking for pie in the kitchen.
NOTE: As we continue to alter these graphics so all can enjoy, we will put a checkmark with the green (for our colorblind audience) to denote that this is “above average” and something for red which signifies below average. If you just see the white ink, we will put that in the realm of “average or neutral”. For instance, Washington had the ball for nearly 37 minutes but lost by five touchdowns. We are not going to fret too much about losing time of possession in this case. Hope that sort of makes sense moving forward.
Overall, it was more of the same from Dallas when it comes to a larger picture of the performance. In fact, let me post the overall game-by-game results and show you what we are talking about.
The 376 yards from Washington is actually a departure from what we have seen recently as it is the 3rd most yards allowed this season. But, the yards per play show us that 5.0 is right in line with other solid weeks. When you start giving up 6.3 (San Francisco) or a ridiculous 7.5 at Arizona, that is when we get concerned. Honestly, Dallas sat back in zones on Thursday and kind of allowed Washington to take their tiny chunks. If I were to guess why, it would be that they were playing their 3rd game in 12 days and once they were up a couple scores were ok with coasting. I do not blame them at all.
NEXT GEN SAM HOWELL
Here is Howell’s throw chart and it isn’t bad.
I don’t mind him and am interested in his future. I would just say Dallas wanted to play zone and keep any explosives from happening. There were three, but all three were the types that got them out to midfield and did not register any haunting memories at all. Dallas played contain well.
SPLASH PLAYS - WK 12
Big game for Osa Odighizuwa, Johnathan Hankins, and Chauncey Golston as they combined for eight splashes. Add in Dorance Armstrong and Neville Gallimore and that is a huge day from the defensive tackles. They do need that moving forward for sure. Seattle and Philadelphia the next two weeks will be big matchups inside.
2023 Splash Play Leaderboard
Here is your leaderboard for the year so far. We have added in Defensive Touchdowns as a column at the end and that shoots Bland up to 2nd place. What a year he is having. Parsons will not be happy with his pace this year, but we all know he is doing just fine.
Again, on to Seattle.
Ok, the rest of this piece today is going to be about our guest of honor, 2nd year cornerback DaRon Bland.
Allow me to start with the Cowboys PR Notes from Thursday that are listed below.
Perhaps we can stop here and make this very easy. Bland has more pick-sixes since September than any Cowboys player has had in their career. That is short circuiting my brain more than the fact that no NFL player of any kind has ever returned five pick-sixes in a season. Just amazing.
Here they are on a profootballreference search list:
And here they are on video for us all to enjoy.
No. 1 from Week 1 vs the Giants:
This one combined the powers of Trevon Diggs hitting Saquon Barkley and Bland playing the slot flying to the ball and showing how getting there is how we make plays.
No. 2 from Week 4 vs the Patriots:
This one was on a day where I could not believe how reckless Mac Jones was with the football. He flirted with this one for about three different throws. It was kind of when I decided Mac Jones is not the answer up there. This is a QB making a very bad decision.
No. 3 from Week 8 vs the Rams:
Here was the occasion where Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp showed they are not always on the exact same page. This one seemed to be where Stafford expected Kupp to zig and he instead zagged. That put the ball right between Bland’s 2 and 6. But, we accept gifts here.
No. 4 from Week 11 vs the Panthers:
This one in Carolina was a rookie QB not throwing the crosser out far enough in front of his man corner chasing Jonathan Mingo. Bland’s recovery speed here and nose for the ball are on full display. This is elite stuff.
And finally the record breaker, No. 5 from Week 12 vs the Commanders:
These tight formations have one corner near the line and one corner back a bit. Bland is the back corner, so you expect him to be playing with some level of caution, but we should know how defenders think when they are up big in the 2nd half. Time to go hunting for sacks and interceptions (depending on the position of the defender). Some might call it “stat hunting” but that is too cynical. Let’s call it “closing games” here.
Regardless, he is recognizing a route and driving much harder than Howell is expecting against Jahan Dotson. These NFL corners are amazing and he jumps another route wonderfully.
We need to look at this runback from the end zone view because it is wonderful:
Now, here is where everyone starts to realize that he has a chance at this record. If I didn’t know better, the Commanders knew, too, because the way Terry McLaurin, Brian Robinson, and Howell all get back to save the touchdown is impressive for a team down this bad, this late in a game. Nobody was left on their couch as he cut back across Howell and Robinson and McLaurin ran into each-other allowing Bland into the end zone for this amazing record moment.
What a scene and what a player.
But, here is what I want to finish with today. The questions of what does this mean and how good is this player.
DaRon Bland just set an all-time record for pick-sixes in a season. So is he a defensive player of the year player?
Probably not.
Let’s be honest, this is and has been a three horse race all year between Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, and TJ Watt. Bland is now at the top of the “others” list, but still not terribly close to those three.
Why? Well, two obvious reasons. One, he has not affected games like those three guys. If we are honest, nobody on the planet would take him over Parsons if you could poach a Cowboys defender. Nobody. And the other is that most of the league is learning who he is and where did the Cowboys find him?
Those two reasons are big and while I love the kid, I have no issue with these two truths. Also, I will tell you that pick-sixes are like grand slam home runs. They are important and they are impressive, but they are not really repeatable.
That is because there are too many things out of your control. You cannot control if your teammates can load the bases or if the opponent will give you a chance. It is not really a true measure of your standing amongst league defenders because the more your fame grows, the less they throw at you in a spot where you can make them pay.
In other words, your anonymity is actually a big advantage.
But, wait, I have great news! If DaRon Bland never gets another pick-six in his career, the evidence is starting to indicate that this is more than fine. Because the repeatable parts of his performance indicate he is a very good NFL cornerback.
This, as you may recall, is in start contrast to the 2021 discussions about Trevon Diggs and his 11 interception season. That year, he allowed over 1,000 yards in coverage (the most by any DB in the NFL) and over 400 yards after catch (the 2nd most in the NFL). His coverage grade that year was a mediocre 65 from PFF which ranked 80th.
Basically, his down-to-down play was poor and he was seen as a gambling ball hawk. Yes, the interceptions are great, but do you simply give those profits back when you lose and a big play heads the other direction?
Now, here is the great news from Bland through 12 weeks.
Bland has given up 353 yards in coverage this season which ranks him 47th-most in the NFL and just 102 yards after the catch which is 52nd-most. In other words, he is fantastic. And, this is verified by the 91.2 grade from PFF which is ranking him as the best coverage corner in the entire NFL.
If you know nothing else about this player, it is this! Without a single interception this year, he would still be considered a wonderful success story from the guy who was thought of as competing for the starting slot job with Jourdan Lewis (and not a lock to win it when Lewis fully healed) to a guy you feel good saying is a starting outside corner with Trevon Diggs in 2024-2025. Incredible season and he should be amazingly proud.
I want to end this by going back to April of 2022 and my film study of him at Fresno State which I published at the Athletic. I thought it might be fun to review what I saw then when the Cowboys selected him in the 5th round:
Pick 5/167: DaRon Bland, Fresno State (6-0, 197), Jersey No. 1
Bland has an interesting story of being overlooked quite a bit. He was a no-star recruit from Northern California who played three seasons at Sacramento State — where he played well and also competed in track — before transferring for the 2021 season to Fresno State. In both spots, he became a starter and demonstrated he was a much better player than prospect. He did not receive an invitation to the NFL Combine after his final year. He was, however, a player the Cowboys had targeted to be a “30 visit” and therefore him on their list of players to grab on Day 3 at the right price. We now know that this price was Pick No. 167. At his pro day, he ran a 4.46 40, with reasonable numbers in the broad jump and vertical leap as well as the always mandatory arm length of 32 inches, which puts him right there at what Dan Quinn has always targeted for his corners. He was the 22nd cornerback taken as the 44th-rated corner by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.
Positives: Bland has a nice combination of measurables that the Cowboys seek and a disposition that says he will be the type of corner they really like on Day 3 — one who plays with a proper amount of physicality against the run and pass plays at the line of scrimmage (like bubble screens) and helps on all four of the special teams early in his career. He appears to have strong ball skills in that he is punching at the ball, sitting on routes and generally looking to make plays. He reacts well to the receiver and is able to manage things very well in coverage. He also has very impressive make-up speed.
Concerns: We would start with that he has been overlooked at seemingly every level and when you start there at this position, which is as traits-based as any position on the field, you must have some level of pause. At the same time, some of those overlooked players develop a mentality that causes them to play angry. His hips are a bit tighter than you would like which means a player’s reaction time at the top of a receiver’s stem is a count behind. This actually might affect zone coverage as much as man and is something he will need to continue to progress with as a defender.
Overall: There is never a bad time to take a cornerback in the draft and the fact that the Cowboys loved this player all along and targeted him early in the fifh round looks like a great fit. Further, with Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown continuously playing huge roles on the team (but also with price tags that have risen), the Cowboys continuing to try to push them with rookies is never a bad plan. I anticipate they will bring him along slowly and allow him to prove himself on special teams in the early going, but there is every reason to believe we better get to know him well through his initial rookie deal. He has a chance to grow into a piece on this defense. I earmarked Bland to be in the mix pretty quickly.
We know I have plenty of misses in this process, but I am pretty proud of this report. It actually seems to have held up pretty well.
Anyway, he is a tremendous story. Don’t expect a handful of pick-sixes every year, but do expect that the Cowboys may not need to bring back Stephon Gilmore next year if they would rather trust Bland to pair well with Diggs moving forward.
Sometimes our discoveries are out of necessity. Without the Diggs ACL, we would have never discovered most of this.
