Cowboys’ rookie running backs finally show up

Still, he remained on injured reserve for the first 17 weeks of the season.

All of that changed, for both Blue and Mafah, on Sunday in the Week 18 finale.

While Hunter Luepke started at running back, Blue and Mafah got the lion’s share of the work in the backfield for Dallas.

Blue finished with 16 carries for 64 yards against the Giants. His 14-yard run for a touchdown put the Cowboys up by four at halftime.

Mafah added five carries for 18 yards and a one-yard touchdown run to open the fourth quarter.

He also had two catches for 11 yards, one going for a first down.

Overall, both rookies had a disappointing year. But their last game of the 2025 season is something they can build on for 2026.

Here’s how the rest of the 2025 class fared on Sunday and for the season:

Tyler Booker (OG)

The first round pick, Tyler Booker, started his 14^th game of the year on Sunday. He missed three games to an ankle sprain in weeks 4–6.

Booker played every down when the offense was on the field in those 14 games, a total of 1,002 snaps, along with another 74 on special teams.

He was flagged six times during the entire season. Four were for holding, with one declined, and the other two were personal fouls for unnecessary roughness.

Booker had a solid year and appears to be the best pick of the Cowboys’ draft so far.

Donovan Ezeiruaku (DE)

The second rounder, Donovan Ezeiruaku, had a finale to forget in his ninth-straight start.

Ezeiruaku was ejected from the game with just under 10 minutes left in the third quarter after ripping off the helmet of a Giants’ player during a post-play scrum.

Before getting the heave-ho, Ezeiruaku had one tackle in 23 snaps (30.7%). He had a sack wiped away by a penalty earlier in the game.

For the year, Ezeiruaku had two sacks and 40 tackles in 17 games.

He added 12 quarterback hits and a safety in what was a solid rookie year.

Shavon Revel Jr. (CB)

Shavon Revel was known to be damaged goods even when the Cowboys reached for him in the third round.

He did little to dispel the belief that Dallas should have looked elsewhere at that point in the draft.

Revel was not active for Sunday’s season finale. He finished the year with five starts in seven games.

Revel had 35 tackles, one for a loss, and defended three passes.

For the year, he was targeted 38 times and yielded 28 catches for 331 yards – 127 of them coming after the catch — and three touchdowns.

We’ll give Revel a “D” for disappointing in 2025. He has a long way to go to avoid having the bust label attached to his selection in April.

Shemar James (LB)

The other fifth rounder, Shemar James, had a monster finale.

James recorded 13 tackles to lead the team, and a quarterback hit to go along with half a sack in a season-high 72 snaps (96%).

James had six starts in 2025, including the final two games. He finished with 1.5 sacks, 91 tackles, and five quarterback hits.

James earns a B+ for 2025 and when paired full-time with DeMarvion Overshown in 2026 could be a monster.

Ajani Cornelius (OL)

The sixth round pick, Ajani Cornelius, was not active on Sunday. His only game for the year was back in October against the Jets.

He had seven snaps on special teams.

At best, his grade is inconclusive and likely not to be on the roster next year.

Jay Toia (DT)

The other seventh-round selection, Jay Toia, was also inactive for Sunday’s game. He played in five games in his rookie season for a total of 90 defensive snaps and 26 on special teams.

Toia finished with three tackles and one quarterback hit for the year.

Trikweze Bridges (DB)

Originally a seventh-round pick of the Chargers, Bridges was traded to Dallas before the start of the regular season.

On Sunday, in his second start of the year, Bridges had five tackles in 56 defensive snaps (74.7%) and one on special teams.

He finished the season with 23 tackles, an interception, and three defended passes.

Alijah Clark (CB)

The undrafted free agent was inactive for Sunday’s finale. He finished the year with 18 tackles.

He was mostly a special teams player, with 174 of his 214 total snaps coming on special teams.

He did have one start as a defensive back, against the Broncos, and had six tackles in that game.

Practice Squad

• Traeshon Holden (WR)
• Rivaldo Fairweather (TE)
• Justin Barron (LB)
• Zion Childress (DB)

Gone But Not Forgotten

Tommy Akingbesote (DT) – The Cowboys final pick in the seventh round back in April was cut just prior to the start of the regular season.