FRISCO, Texas — With a 3-4 record on the season and in dire need of defensive help, the Dallas Cowboys will have DaRon Bland back, moving him from injured reserve to the 53-man active roster ahead of their next matchup against the Atlanta Falcons .
That means that soon this season could finally have the help of more experienced players.
In a corresponding move, Amani Oruwariye has been placed on injured reserve due to a back injury he suffered against the San Francisco 49ers and as such will be unavailable for a minimum of four games.
Having activated Bland’s 21-day practice window on Oct. 9, the Cowboys faced an Oct. 30 deadline to place him back on the active roster or he would be relegated to end-of-season injured reserve. season and would not be allowed to return until the 2025 season.
While this still doesn’t guarantee he’ll play the field this Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, it does mean there has been progress toward his eventual return from a stress fracture in his foot that required surgery before the season began.
“We’re not going to put him on the field until he’s ready to play,” coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday.
The First-Team All-Pro got off to a good start in his return to practice, initially participating fully in his first two tryouts in team drills before being removed completely, not participating in the final practice and review at the Week 6 before sitting out against the Detroit Lions.
The bye week was meant to help his rehab, presumably, but he also sat out every practice leading up to the Week 8 battle against the 49ers, and it has not been determined what his workload will be this week heading into the game. trip to Atlanta.
That said, even if Bland is declared inactive against the Falcons, the Cowboys will now have immediate access to put him back on the field as soon as he’s ready, rather than not at all.
The current NFL interceptions leader in 2023 and single-season record holder for interceptions for touchdowns should be an instant spark for a Cowboys defense that is currently starving for one.
