After an explosive junior year at the Texas Longhorns, Jaydon Blue expected his NFL rookie season to turn out somewhat similar. Until it did not. But now the running back believes the second year will be his year.

"I didn't start off like I should've," Blue said via Patrik Walker of the dallascowboys.com. "Whether it was not practicing the right way, or on a maturity level, I think I wasn't really there. But, now, learning from all the vets and having the offseason that I've had, I think I'm ready to go…I wanna make sure that this year, and in upcoming years, that it's not a problem for me.”

Blue was drafted in the fifth round, 149th overall, by the Dallas Cowboys and played just five games with no starts last season. He finished his rookie year with just 129 rushing and five receiving yards and one touchdown. A complete contrast to his college performance.

With Texas in 2024, Blue racked up 730 rushing yards, 368 receiving yards, and 14 total touchdowns.

However, the RB is ready to put that all behind him and focus on his second year with the Boys to earn his reps.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer has pointed out on multiple occasions that Blue has struggled to remain consistent in practice and will have to earn his reps by sticking to the playbook.

"I'm a completely different person than I was this time last year," he said. "I think I made a whole 180 from where I was last year. I've gotten a lot better…I'm ready to go."

Blue was ruled out multiple times last year but was finally allowed to suit up against the New York Giants in Week 18. Though the Boys lost 17-34 to New York, per Walker, Blue was a "man possessed every time he touched the ball."

Now, as the 2026 season approaches, Schottenheimer has provided an update on where things stand with Blue.

Brian Schottenheimer Calls Jaydon Blue "Football Brilliant"

For Dallas, the RB1 spot is obviously locked in for Javonte Williams, but the fight to watch is the RB2 spot. Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah will be competing with Malik Davis for the position.

Amidst all that, Schottenheimer gave some insight into how Blue has improved this offseason.

"The intelligence is off the charts. I mean, the guy is football brilliant," Schottenheimer said, via the Dallas Morning News. "I was very honest with my opinion of why he wasn't active. So we had some really great conversations. He took that, he ingested it, took it in, and he's come back with a great look on his face and a great work ethic."

According to the head coach, Blue is going to be a huge part of Dallas in 2026, but that comes with one condition: he keeps doing what he is doing right now.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Shubhi Rathore

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore