Jaydon Blue entered training camp as the clear No. 3 running back on the roster and you can even argue he was lower on the depth chart. Brian Schottenheimer admitted that Blue was a bit behind coming out of minicamps and OTAs, but the rookie from Texas really picked it up in the first few weeks of training camp.
Blue has performed well in practice and has earned more reps with the first-team offense. And with Miles Sanders out for the next few days with a knee injury, it has given Blue a chance to show that he should be heavily considered in the running back rotation.
In a recent article by John Machota of The Athletic, he named Blue one of the 10 most impressive players from training camp after two weeks. He was especially impressive coming out of the Saturday practice, where he had multiple big runs during the 11-on-11 period with the first team.
"But lately, (Jaydon) Blue has been standing out more and more, to the point he’s been getting some first-team reps. When given the opportunity, he’s been taking care of the football, showcasing his speed, athleticism and quality hands. Each day that goes by, Blue appears to be getting more comfortable with the offense and speed of the NFL game," Machota wrote.
Jaydon Blue inching closer to winning Cowboys' starting running back job
The expectation is that, regardless of who is the “starter” at running back, the Cowboys will use a heavy committee approach.
Blue isn’t the most powerful running back and still needs to show that he can be trusted in pass protection. The Cowboys could lean on Javonte Williams to do the heavy lifting between the tackles, but there is no denying Blue's speed and juice are desperately needed in this backfield.
This will be a big week for Blue with Sanders out with an injury and the Rams coming to town for a joint practice on Tuesday and preseason exhibition on Saturday. Blue is going to get several opportunities to run with the first team and show the coaching staff that he belongs with that unit. And we should expect to see a heavy dose of the rookie during Saturday's preseason game.
After a slow start this offseason, it sure feels like the Cowboys are going to give Blue every chance to earn the “RB1” job this season. And if he can continue that positive momentum over the next month, there is no reason why he can’t be the lead back in Dallas as soon as this year.