After years of struggles on the ground, the Dallas Cowboys finally chose to overhaul their entire running back room. They signed veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders to lead the way before adding Jayon Blue through the 2025 NFL draft.
After some promising reports and an impressive first taste of NFL action in his preseason debut, it seemed like Blue could be a strong candidate to get some touches early and often. Fast forward to today, and that hasn't been the case in the first two weeks of the season.
Not only hasn't Blue gotten a single touch, but he hasn't even been active. Maybe the Cowboys just got over the preseason hype, and there's no room for him on the field.
Cowboys Want Jaydon Blue to be More Consistent
Blue turned heads when he ran for 25 yards and one score in his first preseason game. He had been dealing with an ankle injury that had cost him a couple of weeks. His pass-catching skills and speed had the fans hyped up.
Still, judging by what head coach Brian Schottenheimer has said of him in back-to-back weeks, it seems like he has failed to make a good impression on the coaching staff:
“(Blue) really is talented, but there’s a way you have to perform, especially with a mantra of ‘Compete every day,” Schottenheimer told reporters last week, via NBC Sports. “If you’re not putting it out there and you’re not doing right every day and if you take a step back (one day after performing well another), that’s going to get noticed.”
When asked about him again this week, the Cowboys' first-year head coach doubled down on his comments about consistency, and he says that he still has to earn the right to be out there:
""Young players, it hits at different times. (Blue is) extremely talented... You have to earn your chance to get out there. There has to be consistency. "Brian Schottenheimer on Jaydon Blue
Through two weeks, the Cowboys have fared pretty decently running the ball, averaging 127 rushing yards per game, the 10th-highest mark in the league. The one-two punch with Williams (151 rushing yards, three touchdowns) and Sanders (68 rushing yards, one touchdown) has worked well so far.
With that in mind, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see the Cowboys cut ties with the fifth-round rookie out of Texas if he doesn't get to work in practice and prove how badly he wants it.