FRISCO – All things considered as it regards the 2024 NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys have little reason for optimism.

Their most important player and team leader Dak Prescott is injured and out for the season.

The head coach is a lame duck. The locker room is coming to understand the “Blow It Up” realities of their short-term future here.

And Dallas is 3-6 and set up to be underdogs on “Monday Night Football” this week against the Houston Texans and underdogs again next week against coach Dan Quinn’s Washington Commanders … all of which would set up Dallas to be a dismal 3-8 when the equally woeful New York Giants come to town for Thanksgiving.

But under the sincerely (if unjustified) optimistic personality of owner Jerry Jones, there is always sunshine to be sold. (Especially when it comes to the unused window curtains at AT&T Stadium).

And so the much-delayed return to the field of star cornerback DaRon Bland – which to the logical observer is a very troubling thing, given that we know for a fact he was ramping up near a return in the second week of October before the Week 6 loss to the Detroit Lions – is being painted as something positive. ”

He had a really good week,” COO Stephen Jones said on Friday via 105.3 The Fan. He did? We believe Bland endured a setback of sorts before that Lions game.

And now, fast-forward to this week: CowboysCountry.com has the official injury report from Thursday; Bland, sidelined since August due to a foot injury, did not practice.

We also have the official injury report from Friday.

Again, the playmaking cornerback did not practice. Which part of that merits any report that Bland “had a really good week”?

Bland, obviously, has yet to play this season. There are some observers who wonder, as we near the end of this dismal campaign, if he should bother coming back at all.

As a competitor, Bland obviously wants to play. And in addition to that? He’s got one year left on his cheap rookie contract, so as a businessman he should want to play, too.

He is now on the clock in a sense as his 21-day practice window will be expiring on November 20; if he’s unable to be activated by that date, he will miss the remainder of the 2024 season.

Stephen Jones’ maybe-unintentionally deceptive optimism about next week comes with some truth about this week.

“It’s not going to be good enough to roll him out there Monday (night),” Jones said, “but he’s getting real close. Feeling better about where he is.”

Following Monday?

Dallas has two days in which to activate Bland … or else he will be done for the year and looking forward to having a “really good” 2025.