FRISCO, Texas — The last time DaRon Bland took the field against the New York Giants, it was November 2023, and he intercepted Tommy DeVito to help fuel a blowout win. In the matchup prior, the regular season opener, Bland snatched a pass from Daniel Jones and took it into the end zone himself for a pick-six — the first of what would be a historic season for him.
He won't face Jones this time around, and potentially not DeVito either, as the latter deals with a forearm injury that might clear the path for Drew Lock to take the field and possibly learn the same lesson the previous two Giants' quarterbacks did.
The good news for Bland is that, following his 2024 debut against the Washington Commanders, his surgically-repaired foot is showing no signs of a setback.
"The soreness wasn't too bad," he said. "[I'm] good."
That matters in a major way when considering the Cowboys are tasked with taking the field for a second game in a matter of only four days. That is difficult enough of a task for players who haven't missed any time prior to this stretch but, for one who missed the previous 10 games, the challenge is heightened.
For his part, Bland says he's ready to get back on the field again, not taken any snaps for granted at this point.
"It was good being back out there," the All-Pro said. "I felt like I knocked off some rust. … [I feel] Better than I thought it would. I thought I'd be a lot more rusty, but I feel pretty good."
He was met with a bit of a surprise when the Cowboys ditched their plan to put him on a pitch count later in the eventual upset win over the Commanders, Bland going on to log more than 60 reps in this first game back.
His play helped contribute to one of the best collective efforts from Dallas' defense this season, one they're hoping to duplicate on Thansgiving, sans the late-game anxiety.
"We just needed to hunker down a little bit," said Bland.
Given the possibility the Cowboys will again be without Trevon Diggs, the onus will again be on Bland and an up-and-coming standout in Josh Butler alongside Jourdan Lewis to help them land what will be only their second two-game win streak of the season.
At this point, it's all about the fight for Dallas, and that is even more true for Bland, who fought hard to finally get back onto the field before the 2024 season concluded.
He won that fight, and now to see how many he can win against his opponents.
