Cowboys rookie DaRon Bland continues to shine in opportunities afforded him

If luck equals when preparation meets opportunity, then Thursday was DaRon Bland’s lucky day. No one roots for a teammate’s misfortune, but a fifth-round rookie is going to need some help to earn his way to on-the-fiend reps when the games count. So when Jourdan Lewis came up with a hamstring injury that will sideline him for the rest of the preseason, Bland’s preparation thus far this offseason finally got the opportunity to be put on display.

The Fresno State product has been good throughout training camp, and was good once again against the Denver Broncos in the preseason opener. But on Thursday he got a chance to lineup with the first-team players as the nickel corner in joint practices with the Los Angeles Chargers. Once again, Bland proved that the situation wasn’t too big for him. As he competes with second-year and higher draft pedigree teammates like Kelvin Joseph and DaRon Bland, he’s proving that he belongs in the conversation to be the fourth cornerback.

He ended the scrimmage with that red-zone interception after already having three pass breakups on the day.

Bland played almost an equal number of snaps in the slot and on the boundary against the Broncos on Saturday, while Joseph and Wright played almost exclusively on the outside. It’s not that those guys are limited, but Dan Quinn, Joe Whitt, Jr. and Al Harris have seen fit to get Bland involved in all facets, which will only help him to get on the game-day roster.

His All-Pro teammates are impressed.

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Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire