An NFL player's rookie season can be a rollercoaster, and no one knows that more than first-year running back Jaydon Blue. The Dallas Cowboys drafted him in the fifth round of April's draft, and it didn't take long for fans to raise their expectations. Blue showed plenty of promise during his collegiate career at the University of Texas, and the hope was that he could immediately contribute in a Cowboys RB room that had more questions than answers.
Fast forward to the regular season, and Blue has been sparsely seen so far. He's been inactive more often than not, seeing only 45 offensive snaps in four games. That trend continued on Thursday, when he was scratched again in the Cowboys' 31-28 win over the Chiefs.
While some fans might be holding out hope for Blue to turn things around, Week 13's win likely threw a big wrench into his Cowboys future.
Jaydon Blue Facing a Bigger Uphill Battle After Week 13
If the Cowboys' backfield struggled against the Chiefs, one could make an argument that Blue should be back in the fold for next week's date with the Detroit Lions. Much to his dismay, though, that wasn't the case.
Javonte Williams continued his stranglehold over the RB1 role by converting 17 carries into 59 rushing yards and three catches into 21 receiving yards and a touchdown. Was Williams ultra-efficient on the ground? No. But his ability to consistently find the end zone is the main reason why the Cowboys keep turning to him on the ground.
If that wasn't bad enough for Blue's outlook, Malik Davis also amassed 47 rushing yards and a score on three carries. Although the majority of that damage came on a 43-yard run, his big-play potential is something that can't be ignored, nor can the fact that he's now in his fourth season with the franchise, likely giving him a stronger relationship with head coach Brian Schottenheimer and the rest of the coaching staff than Blue likely has.
Of course, KaVontae Turpin didn't do the rookie any favors, either. The versatile wide receiver/kick returner was used three times as a runner, capitalizing on those opportunities to the tune of 33 rushing yards. If Dallas is comfortable with giving Turpin a similar workload on the ground moving forward, it's easy to see why Blue might continue being scratched, especially if it lets the Cowboys dress more players at another position.
Blue's uneventful season might not be a reason for an early divorce, but it might make America's Team start to rethink his future. Again, the Cowboys used a fifth-round pick on him, so it isn't like they've made as big an investment as if they had taken him on Day 1 or 2 of the 2025 NFL draft. A potential separation would be much easier to swallow with that in mind.
Nevertheless, time will tell if Blue can force himself back onto the field before the season is over. The Cowboys' backfield is operating just fine without him, but "just fine" might not be good enough to make the playoffs. Dallas needs to be firing on all cylinders to get there, so Blue finally stepping up and returning to the game-day lineup down the stretch would be welcome help to achieve that goal.