DaRon Bland has been rewarded for the fine season he had with the Dallas Cowboys in 2023. Even though it ended in disappointment in the playoffs, as it so often does with the franchise, the defensive created quite a name for himself. His nine interceptions for the season were the highest in the league. He also returned five of them for a touchdown, which is now the single-season record for the number of pick-sixes in a season.

The league has a system of awarding performance bonuses to those players who were selected later in the draft or were free agents and have lower salaries, but end up contributing substantially to the team with high snap counts. DaRon Bland, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, pocketed $759,756.

Others on the list were Brock Purdy, who as Mr. Irrelevant from the same draft ended up taking the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl. John Simpson and Reed Blankenship led the players in terms of reported compensation.

DaRon Bland and Cowboys have a lot to prove in the new season

While DaRon Bland had a great season, it did not end in the best way possible. Their defense disintegrated at home against the Green Bay Packers, the seventh seed taking on the second seed, and they lost 48-32.

It was a failure for the defensive unit but that did not seem to harm defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who was picked as the next head coach of divisional rivals, the Washington Commanders. Therefore, the onus now falls on the players to show what they are worth. Mike Zimmer is the new defensive coordinator for the Cowboys and DaRon Bland and company will have to earn the trust of a new coach all over again.

The return of Trevon Diggs, who was injured last season, will make this a fascinating prospect. While Stephon Gilmore’s experience helped last season, Diggs and Bland are both cornerbacks who like to jump routes. That helps them with interceptions but can often leave gaps behind them. Whether a coach wishes to put both of them together, even if the high risk becomes evident during pre-season, or chooses a different approach remains to be seen.

Therefore, even with the latest payout and his record-breaking season, things are uncertain for DaRon Bland. But if anyone knows how to come back from a situation where he was underestimated, it is him. He might need to do that all over again.