After making the bold decision to let Rico Dowdle walk out the door following his breakout 2024 campaign, the Dallas Cowboys quickly got to work in revamping the running backs room in the early days of free agency, first signing Javonte Williams and then Miles Sanders four days later. To add more depth, America's Team then selected a pair of backs in April's draft, first taking Texas speedster Jaydon Blue in Round 5 and then Clemson bruiser Phil Mafah in Round 7.
Now, Mafah was never supposed to compete with Williams and Sanders for the starting role, and he was ultimately placed on injured reserve following the Cowboys' preseason finale with a shoulder injury.
Blue, on the other hand, was expected to compete for the starting job, which, of course, was won by Williams. But not only did Blue not earn RB1 status after his work habits were brought into question during training camp, but he was a healthy scratch for the first four games of the season. He finally made his NFL regular-season debut in Week 5, as Sanders was unavailable with knee and ankle injuries that ultimately landed him on season-ending injured reserve.
Blue ended up appearing in four straight games, gaining just 65 yards on 22 carries, while adding a lone reception for five yards and three kickoff returns for 72 yards. But in the Cowboys' Week 9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the 21-year-old was again a healthy scratch, with many believing his benching was due to his fumble in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos. His practice habits have also once again been questioned.
As such, Dallas elevated Malik Davis from the practice squad, and he carried the ball one time against the Cards for three yards before being waived the next day and re-signed to the practice squad three days later.
Cowboys sent Jaydon Blue a clear message after he was benched in Week 10
As the NFL trade deadline was one day after Blue was benched, some believed the Cowboys could end up making a deal to acquire a running back, and there were certainly plenty of fans who wanted that to happen. But while Dallas did make a couple of high-profile deals, one with the Bengals for linebacker Logan Wilson and another with the Jets for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, the running back room didn't change at all.
One would assume that if Brian Schottenheimer had plans to keep Blue on the bench, Jerry Jones would have made a move for a back, especially with Davis back on the practice squad.
Thankfully for Dallas, Williams is having the best season of his five-year career, tallying 716 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns on 139 carries, adding 93 yards and a score on 25 receptions. But if he goes down with an injury, the Cowboys are going to need Blue to step in and step up.
Sure, fullback Hunter Luepke is available, but he's only carrying the ball if absolutely necessary. And wideout Kavontae Turpin is good for a few carries here and there as well. But unless the Cowboys are ready to bring Mafah into the mix, Blue, for better or worse, will have to be the backup moving forward.