The summer of Jaydon Blue is here, and the positive drumbeat is only getting louder. It seems like at every turn, we are hearing more good news regarding the Dallas Cowboys' second-year running back, and maybe more importantly, we are hearing it from Blue himself.
Blue admitted last week that his maturity level and professionalism weren’t up to par during his rookie season, and he has vowed to change that. And by all accounts, he has been a completely different player so far this offseason.
So, what happens if Blue does take that next step forward? How can the Cowboys get him involved in the offense, and what’s the best way to use him? Well, there is a recent blueprint for Blue that Dallas would be wise to follow.
Former Dallas Cowboys RB Tony Pollard could be the blueprint for Jaydon Blue
Javonte Williams is the featured back for the Cowboys, and after a wildly successful 2025 season, the franchise rewarded him with a new three-year deal. Williams had 287 touches during the 2025 NFL season, which was his career high by a significant margin.
But there is no doubt that he wore down as the season went on. Williams averaged 81.5 rushing yards per game in the first 11 games and notched 5.0 yards per rush. But his yardage total dropped to 61 yards per game and 4.3 yards per carry over the final five contests.
Part of the reason for the drop in production was that he was just playing too many snaps. Williams played 769 snaps during the 2025 season, which was nearly 200 more than his previous career high (574 in 2024). He was on the field for nearly every third down and took a lot of damage (and dealt a bunch, too) as a pass blocker.
The Cowboys have to find a way to limit the snaps for Williams in 2026, and carving out a role for Jaydon Blue could do that. Does that mean that Blue will become the Jahmyr Gibbs to Williams’ David Montgomery? Of course not. But there is another comparison that does make more sense.
Tony Pollard was a similar style of player to Blue coming out of Memphis and flashed as a rookie. But it was Year 2 where he saw his role grow in the offense. Playing behind Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys found creative ways to get Pollard on the field to spell Zeke.
One way that they got Pollard involved was by simply giving him an entire series with the offense. Generally, it was every third series or so, but Mike McCarthy and the coaching staff would design some easy ways to get him touches (screen games, option routes, etc.) and would use wide zone runs to get him in space.
By giving Pollard his own series, he not only could develop as a player, but he could feel confident and decisive, knowing exactly what the plan was going to be for him on those drives.
Pollard had 129 touches in 16 games in 2020, and that averages out to about eight touches per contest. That’s not a big number, but it was enough to help keep Elliott fresh and keep him away from the big touch totals.
Before the 2020 season, Elliott averaged nearly 340 touches per season and a whopping 24.25 touches per game. And it was obvious to everyone watching that Elliott was fading fast, and the Cowboys needed to find ways to limit his work and extend his shelf life.
Blue is a more refined runner than Pollard was earlier in his career, and that could allow him to see more work as a traditional running back. But if Dallas really wants to limit the workload for Williams, getting Blue involved in the passing game as both a receiver and a blocker could help the most.
Pollard caught 28 passes in 2020 for the Cowboys and then increased that total to 39 the following year. But his improvements as a pass blocker are what allowed him to see more time with the starting offense.
It remains to be seen how Blue will fare in this area, but becoming a reliable pass blocker will be the quickest way to earn the trust of the coaching staff and, maybe more importantly, quarterback Dak Prescott.
Pollard was a part-time player for most of his career in Dallas, but he ended up becoming a Pro Bowler in 2022, despite starting just four games. Now, he has become a full-time starter and has racked up nearly 4,000 yards from scrimmage since 2023.
He needed some time to grow into an every-down back, and the hope is that Blue can take a similar path with the Cowboys. If the Cowboys can find a way to get Blue around eight touches per game on offense, that should be enough to at least give Williams some sort of relief.
How those eight touches are divided up remains to be seen, but it does appear that the Cowboys are trying to build some sort of role specifically for Blue. He’s not quite the clear-cut RB2 in Dallas, but it does seem like Brian Schottenheimer wants him to be a mainstay of the offense every week.
The development of Jaydon Blue is a big story for the Cowboys as they are desperately trying to find another competent running back behind Williams. And if Blue can seize this opportunity, there is no telling just how good Dallas could be on offense this season.
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