‘We need more from him’… Dallas Cowboys DC publicly calls out one of his players

The Dallas Cowboys are under pressure heading into their Week 9 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

Last week’s surprise 33-30 loss to the Arizona Cardinals has heightened the scrutiny on the 3-5 Dallas Cowboys.

Fortunately, this weekend they face crisis team the Indianapolis Colts, who recently traded away Quentin Nelson and DeForest Buckner.

Losing to the Colts would be unimaginable for the Cowboys, and under-fire defensive coordinator Christian Parker has been speaking ahead of the matchup.

Parker has now publicly gone on record to call out cornerback DaRon Bland, stating that the team need more from him.

He clarified that this would not be a shock to Bland, having held discussions with him about the need to improve.

Parker was quoted via Todd Archer: “I think we need more from him. He knows that. We’ve got some good talks about that. I think he’s battling.

“The frustrating thing I know for him and for us is there’s been a lot of snaps where he’s been close, the catches are contested. So now it’s about just that final piece of just finishing those plays.

“Corner’s a position where 49 snaps can be right, but one of them can be wrong and you’re in the spotlight in that regard. So just keeping his head in terms of doing that and just keep chipping away.”

Parker insisted that the Cowboys still believe that Bland can recover his previous form, adding: “Still got confidence in him that he’s going to. He’s had some good performances this year, so we just got to get back to making that consistent.”

Rise and fall of DaRon Bland

As a fifth-round pick in 2022, DaRon Bland hit headlines with a stunning rookie season when he snagged five interceptions.

Bland followed this up with an elite 2023 season with a league-leading five interceptions and five pick-sixes, setting an NFL season record.

Foot surgery in 2024 was the turning point for Bland. He played seven games that season and failed to register an interception.

Bland had one INT last season and none this season. Having once set elite standards, Bland’s failure to reproduce anywhere near the same heights is a major source of concern for the NFL’s 32nd ranked defense.

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