Can Jaydon Blue Grab the Starting Job?

Few jobs in NFL history spark as much glamour as the running back of the Dallas Cowboys. Those include all-time great Emmitt Smith, as well as Tony Dorsett and Don Perkins. In recent memory, Ezekiel Elliott was the bellcow runner in the NFC East. Well, those days are over.

The Dallas Cowboys might have struck gold in the draft when they selected running back Jaydon Blue. He could snatch a huge workload early in his career.

In the upcoming season, there will be a new RB1 under Jerry Jones’ watch. The candidates include free-agent additions Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders and rookie Jaydon Blue.

Williams suffered a torn ACL in 2022, and the former Bronco hasn’t been particularly efficient since, with subpar 3.6 and 3.7 yards per carry in the past two seasons. He does offer reliable hands in the passing game, though.

Sanders, meanwhile, has been a disaster since leaving the Eagles in the 2023 offseason. In two seasons with the Panthers, he averaged 3.5 yards per carry and looked like a backup at best. Chuba Hubbard badly outplayed him and pretty much ran him out of town.

That brings us to Mr. Blue. He was stuck in a committee at Texas last year and couldn’t shine in the shadows of other NFL backs in the past, but despite going in the fifth round, he has the skill set that should translate to the next level, with fantastic physical tools and the requisite explosiveness needed to stand out next to Sanders and Williams.

Bleacher Report wrote about the rookie ahead of the draft: “Blue is a charged-up runner with explosive burst/acceleration once a lane is created. With his burst, he outruns pursuing defenders to the edges and is an angle-beater once he breaks contain. Blue is a fast-track ball-carrier with great top-end speed. He will rip off long runs at max speed, generating explosive plays frequently.”

That sounds exactly like someone who could be a difference-maker next to the two rather boring veterans.

Early reports from OTAs suggest that Sanders and Williams played with the first-team offense. It’s usual for rookies to take some more time before getting any first-team love.

Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported: “Alongside Williams, Sanders saw a healthy amount of burn with the first-team unit today. He hauled in two receptions on a screen and a swing pass from Dak Prescott, and he turned a busted inside run into a sizable gain after he bounced it to the edge. When considering his six seasons in the NFL, Sanders could have the excuse of looking a little weathered with his running style, but that isn’t the case. He showed off a spring in his step and runs fluidly for his mileage of over 1,000 career touches.”

At this point. Blue should be expected to open the year behind one or even both veterans. His snap counts could rise as the season goes on, however, simply because he is the most dynamic of the trio. The Cowboys’ running back crew is hard to decipher.

Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.