The Dallas Cowboys will be without one of their best defenders when they play the New York Giants this Sunday.
Cornerback DaRon Bland suffered a foot injury in practice on Monday, and the team will be without him for “multiple weeks”. This, per a report from Todd Archer of ESPN, is an incredibly nasty surprise for a defense that’s already looking for answers after the trade of star edge (and DPOY candidate) Micah Parsons. In a twist of fate, the Cowboys awarded Bland a four-year, $90 million contract extension shortly after trading Parsons.
This is undoubtedly a break for the Giants, who are looking for any answer they can find after a disastrous performance against the Washington Commanders. The Giants offense was unable to find anything approaching traction in Week 1, needing several big fourth down conversions simply to sustain drives. New York was almost completely unable to find consistent production down the field, and open pass catchers not named Malik Nabers were few and far between.
The Cowboys will likely be depending on Trevon Diggs to cover Nabers, and may opt to roll help his way as well. That would put Kaiir Elam and some combination of C.J. Goodwin, Reddy Stewart, and Trikweze Bridges on the Giants’ second, third, and fourth receiver options.
The Giants are still searching for a receiving option to step up — and open up — while teams double cover Nabers.
The Cowboys’ defense played relatively well against the Eagles’ offense in Week 1, but they were also obviously missing Micah Parsons’ presence up front. The loss of Bland is another big blow to a defense rapidly running out of difference makers.
Andrew Thomas back to practice
After skipping Wednesday’s padded practice, Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas was on the field for practice on Thursday. Head coach Brian Daboll said the left tackle, still coming back from LisFranc surgery in the middle of the 2024 season, would participate in team periods on Thursday.
Whether Thomas will be able to play on Sunday against the Cowboys is still unknown.
Linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, who was limited on Wednesday with a calf injury, did not practice on Thursday after apparently aggravating the injury.
Dexter Lawrence returned to practice after missing Wednesday for the birth of his child. Wan’Dale Robinson (ankle) also returned to practice. Malik Nabers, limited on Wednesday, was expected to be a full participant on Thursday.
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