All year long we’ve looked at the rookie class and given previews and reviews on each player for every game of the season. Now let’s look back the season in its entirety and breakdown each rookie and how they performed. Let’s continue with fifth-round running back Jaydon Blue.
Season stats- Total Snaps: 78, Rush Attempts: 38, Rush Yards: 129, YPC: 3.4, TD: 1, First Downs: 7, Fum: 1
Blue’s rookie year in Dallas was a mix of flashes and frustration, and the numbers show how little the Cowboys ultimately
trusted him. On the surface, his production is modest but not disastrous. In five games he carried 38 times for 129 yards and one touchdown, averaging 3.4 yards per carry with a long of 27 yards, plus one catch for five yards. His best day came in the season finale at the Giants, where he posted 16 carries for 64 yards and that first NFL score, looking like a viable change-of-pace option when given volume. But that late surge sits on top of a season where he was inactive far more often than he played. After battling an ankle issue in camp, Blue was healthy by September, yet he was inactive until Week 5 and eventually logged seven total snaps in his debut.
Brian Schottenheimer was blunt about the reason why Blue had limited playing time quoting “young players, it hits at different times. He’s extremely talented. You have to earn your chance to get out there. There has to be consistency,” with a former Cowboys assistant questioning his work habits and study habits, which points directly to playbook and preparation concerns rather than health.
Ball security was the on-field turning point. In the Week 8 loss to Denver the arrow fully tilted down with a poor performance and a disappointing fumble, that was followed by those repeated inactives as coaches lost trust. That concern wasn’t new, at Texas he’d put the ball on the ground eight times in 214 touches, roughly once every 26 touches, a rate that is wildly concerning.
While Blue was sliding down the depth chart, Malik Davis used special teams to earn snaps and then took over the RB2 job after the bye, showing some optimistic performances with two touchdowns and, one important one against Kansas City, and proved to be the trusted backup behind Javonte Williams.
In short, Blue’s rookie season became less about what he did with the ball and more about why he couldn’t get on the field thanks to a combination of a key fumble, questions about his grasp of the offense, and the emergence of more reliable options. The talent and speed that got him drafted are still there, and his finale against New York showed there is something to build on, but he heads into 2026 needing to rebuild trust in the meeting room and prove he can protect the ball if he wants a real role in the Cowboys backfield.
