ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys were hit with some unexpected bad news just moments before kickoff of the team's final preseason game, as All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks after an MRI revealed a stress fracture in his foot.
The news comes just 15 days out from the team's season opener against the Cleveland Browns, as the team is expected to put Bland on the injured reserve/designated to return list which would require an absence of at least four games.
Where does that have the Cowboys turning in the meantime? Enter rookie cornerback Caelen Carson, a fifth-round pick – coincidentally the same round that Bland was selected in back in 2022. While turning a big defensive role over to a rookie could draw some concern, the overwhelming thought from the Cowboys is that his performance at training camp and in the preseason has prepared him for this opportunity.
"I like that he's playing at the level that he is," Jerry Jones said. "He's certainly going to get a great opportunity to fill in here."
"I've seen [Trevon Diggs], I've seen [DaRon Bland] come into the league and how they prepare for training camp and OTAs," starting nickel cornerback Jourdan Lewis said. "[Caelen Carson] is very similar to those guys' approach. He's calm and collected when he's on the field playing. He's cut from that same cloth."
For Carson, he understands the opportunity in his palms despite it coming at the hand of an untimely injury to a teammate he has grown close with since his arrival just four months ago.
"It sucks, because [Bland] is like my brother and he's one of the guys," Carson said. It's terrible news…Just make the most of every opportunity. Take notes from DB, Tre and some of the older guys and just make the most of the opportunity."
While Jones and the front office does have some decisions to make in the coming days with cut day coming early next week, looking at the cornerback market will not be one of them.
"Not at all, not in any way," Jones said. "Not at all. The good news is that we have some guys that have played well in camp. We won't be looking at all."
While Carson is garnering praise early on, there will still be learning curves he will have to experience in the early weeks of the NFL season. For him, his approach will remain the same to stay level-headed.
"It's always a learning process," he said. "But at the end of the day, football is football. It is what you make it…I feel like I'm a confident guy. I've earned the right to play and get to this next level. Whatever happens, happens."
The crash course will begin for the rookie as early as Saturday in order to prepare himself for his starting opportunity. It's more of a heads up than DaRon Bland got in his rookie season when he stepped in for Lewis – who also went down with a foot fracture.
The parallels can be drawn between Bland and Carson as they both see starting opportunities as fifth-round rookies. But for a player that has already been coined with the nickname "Seatbelt" at training camp, he's only focused on the road in front of him – however fast it may be.
"Everybody has their own story," Carson said. "I don't look at anybody else's story."
