DaRon Bland

Dallas CowboysOVERPAID

Pos CB

Updated October 8, 2026

Model Score

71.7 MODEL

Resting on limited playing time

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

2023 1st-team All-Pro plus NFL single-season pick-6 record (5) puts Bland in the rare All-Pro CB class. The 41-spot regression from tier 6 (#42) in 2023 to tier 8 (#83) in 2025 confirms the All-Pro production was situational. The Fresno State Mountain West 5th-round origin plus the elite 2023 award establish unusual career résumé. The 2026 question is whether Bland returns to tier 5-6 territory or whether the structural mid-career instability closes the elite chapter.

Bland came out of Fresno State as the Dallas Cowboys' 5th-round pick (167th overall) in 2022. He earned 2023 1st-team All-Pro recognition plus 2023 Pro Bowl after setting the NFL single-season record with 5 pick-6 interceptions. His STTM career runs tier 6 (#42) in 2023 All-Pro, tier 8 (#64) in 2024, and tier 8 (#83) in 2025.

Strengths

2023 1st-team All-Pro plus NFL single-season pick-6 record (5) plus the Fresno State Mountain West 5th-round origin puts him in the rarest outlier-positive class at the CB position.
Four years of Cowboys system experience plus the elite 2023 award establishes structural elite ceiling at peak.

Concerns

Career STTM range mostly tier 6-8 outside the 2023 All-Pro year flags the elite recognition as situational.
Dallas's broader defensive identity transition (Micah Parsons trade context) compresses the structural support around Bland.

What to watch: Whether Bland returns to tier 5 (top 40) in 2026, the threshold for confirming the 2023 ceiling can be recaptured.