How NY Giants Can Capitalize on Cowboys CB DaRon Bland’s Absence

If Cowboys CB DaRon Bland misses Sunday's game, as is looking like will be the case, here's how the Giants can take advantage.

Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New York Giants could be catching a big break this weekend as reports out of Dallas say that the Cowboys, who are up next on the Giants’ schedule, could be without cornerback DaRon Bland this weekend due to a foot injury that has left him sidelined the last two days.

It’s a messy part of football, but realistically, an injury means that the position on the roster is weakened. A depleted position on the roster means teams will try to attack that position.

Bland was one of five Cowboys defenders to play all 62 snaps in Week 1 against the Eagles, playing 26 snaps at outside corner and 24 in the slot in that Week 1 loss. To replace him on the outside, look for the Cowboys to deploy Trevon Diggs, who last week only played 26 snaps on the outside across from Kaiir Elam.

With Diggs likely taking over Bland’s snaps on the outside, that shouldn’t be viewed as a point of attack for the Giants. In the nickel, however, that’s where the Giants should be able to take advantage of the Cowboys.

The Cowboys' depth chart listed Reddy Steward as the second-string nickel behind Bland going into Week 1. Steward was limited to just special teams snaps last week, getting four snaps on kickoff coverage.

Last season, Steward, who was originally an undrafted free agent who signed with the Bears in 2024, appeared in just 18 snaps, all with Chicago, where current Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Elberfus was the head coach. Steward’s time in Chicago should allow him to hit the ground running in the defensive system.

That said, Steward was with the Vikings during the preseason, so he’s still fairly new to the Cowboys' defense, which is a similar scheme but different parts around him and likely different terminology.

How the Giants can benefit

If the Giants wanted to attack the slot, they might want to consider moving Malik Nabers there.

Nabers has looked like one of the best young receivers in the league in his short time as a pro, and moving him into the slot would give him the easiest matchup he’s going to find.

Last year, Nabers saw 46 slot targets, per PFF, catching 34 (73.9%) for 252 yards, an average of 7.4 yards per catch, and two touchdowns. On screens, he caught 15 out of 19 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown with 136 yards after the catch.

Wan’Dale Robinson, the Giants’ main slot receiver, caught 15 out of 16 screen passes for 53 yards last season, with 98 yards after the catch. The Giants could mix and match the two in the slot to attack Steward’s inexperience. 

In addition, we would deploy motion to try to attack the inexperienced Steward, run out wide, and make him prove he’s capable of making NFL tackles consistently. 

The Giants, per NFL Plus, deployed motion on 32 of their 62 offensive plays last week (20 pass, 12 rush), gaining 52 of their 74 rushing yards and 79 of their 168 passing yards on such plays.

Diggs is still a threat as an outside corner. Elam had a great Week 1 but has been wildly inconsistent since getting drafted. Steward is completely unproven and inexperienced.

Steward, meanwhile, might very well excel against the Giants, but by no means should New York make it easy for him to do so.

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