It is important to remember, of course, that most everything is sunshine and lollipops when the NFL is in training camp mode. Players who were too big last year have lost weight, players who were undersize put on muscle, and everyone camp standout looks like they will be a key contributor when the fall comes around. Alas, the recipients of most camp accolades wind up falling by the wayside when games get real, but there is hope for the Dallas Cowboys that one notable offseason trend keeps up: the growing professionalism of second-year running back Jaydon Blue.
After he was picked in the fifth round of the 2025 draft based on his blazing speed, Blue arrived in Dallas last year not exactly bent on putting in the work that was needed to earn a significant role in the offense. That was one problem for the Cowboys last year, as the team foresaw the jitterbugging Blue as a counterpoint to their steamroller starter, Javonte Williams.
But Blue frustrated the Cowboys, and after getting a shot at a role in October, was pulled from the lineup and did not play again until the season finale. There is hope there, however.
Cowboys Happy With RB Depth
The reports from the spring and early summer about Blue have been positive–but again, at this time of year, whether it is the Cowboys or any other NFL team, the tendency is to accentuate the positive.
ESPN insider Dan Graziano visited the Cowboys’ camp in Oxnard last week, and said that the supporting cast for Williams, headlined by Blue, has been impressive.
Wrote Graziano on Tuesday: “With regard to Blue, the Cowboys were disappointed last season that he was taking a while to mature as an NFL player, and as a result, they didn’t think they could use him much. But they say they feel he has shown improvement in key areas, and they foresee a role for him as a super-speedy back who can bring juice to the offense. Dallas likes the RB room overall, so if something happened to Williams, it could slide in someone like Malik Davis as the early-down guy and keep Blue in whatever the ‘juice’ role is that it has planned for him.”
Jaydon Blue Could Have a Big Role
Williams is the Cowboys’ clear No. 1 running back, coming off a 1,201-yard season and having been given a $24 million contract. But behind him, it’s Blue, 2025 seventh-rounder Phil Mafah and veteran Malik Davis. The three were supposed to be competing for the RB2 role, but it increasingly looks like it will be Blue.
During last month’s mincamp, coach Brian Schottenheimer let it slip that it would be the Cowboys’ preference for Blue to win the job.
Said Schottenheimer: “There’s nothing that would make me and the offensive staff more ecstatic than for Jaydon to take the step we hope he takes because of the 1-2 punch he and Javonte could potentially have and Jaydon’s ability to hurt you catching the football out of the backfield. A dimension that we—not that we didn’t have but we didn’t use as much because we chose to throw the ball to CeeDee (Lamb) and George (Pickens) and (Jason Ferguson) and guys like that.”
Cowboys Update on ‘Super Speedy’ Weapon Raises Hopes