The Dallas Cowboys may be set at the running back position this offseason after re-signing Javonte Williams to a three-year, $24 million contract. With Williams locked in as the RB1 and a healthy competition for the backup role, things should be looking up for Dallas.
That is, of course, if the RB battle is a competitive one, and Phil Mafah doesn't run away with it. While the Mafah story would be a feel-good one, the former seventh-rounder would only ascend because former fifth-rounder Jaydon Blue didn't work out. Of course, Malik Davis looms as an option in the room, but he's coming off a season-ending injury.
Blue is supposed to be the guy stepping into this role this coming season. It's just hard to envision that based on what we've seen so far.
Coming from the Texas Longhorns, Blue entered the 2025 NFL season with 730 rushing yards on eight yards per carry during his final season in college, which was UT's first in the SEC. Blue was a key component of the Longhorns' offense in a year Texas came up two wins short of a national championship. In his team's first CFP win, coincidentally against Mafah's Clemson Tigers, Blue had 146 rushing yards (on 14 carries) and two touchdowns. In his last college game against the eventual champion Ohio State Buckeyes, Blue had two receiving touchdowns, accounting for essentially all the Longhorns' scoring.
That Cotton Bowl Classic loss to Ohio State, which coincidentally took place at AT&T Stadium, was the last time Blue looked electric. In a Cowboys uniform, Blue has been wildly ineffective. In five appearances, Blue had one rushing touchdown, with 129 yards on 3.4 yards per carry. His best game came in Week 18, a 34-17 loss to the New York Giants. That was a lifeless contest between two teams already eliminated from any postseason conversation, though.
Blue didn't deliver any goods. Not when it mattered, anyway.
Cowboys Still Need Jaydon Blue to Develop or They'll Have to Move On
Jerry Jones has likely made his decision on the running back position. Williams impressed enough to prove indispensable in the room, and there's clearly enough faith in what's behind him to focus draft needs on a defense that needs talent in the trenches, in the middle, and in the secondary.
Is that faith in Mafah working out as the insurance plan, or is there still hope that Blue does more with his career? It's not as though Blue has the injury concerns Davis does. He was merely a healthy scratch for 12 games in his rookie season because Brian Schottenheimer didn't believe in him.
Perhaps by September, after a full offseason under his belt, Blue could earn that belief. At 22, Blue has plenty of time to grow into his frame and play his best football in his home state.
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