Aug 22, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue (34) carries the ball during the fourth quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at AT&T Stadium. Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images

Jaydon Blue's mystery absence from Cowboys offense gets positive update

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Nikki Chavanelle | Last updated Sep 26, 2025 11:26 AM ET

Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Jaydon Blue could be close to making his regular-season debut, but it's a numbers game at this point, according to head coach Brian Schottenheimer. Cowboys fans have been wondering where the fifth-round draft pick is on game day with some assuming he's either injured or not performing well.

However, Schottenheimer says Blue has stepped up in practices and in his work with the scout team. Now, it's just a matter of what the team needs on game day. With Javonte Williams performing at a very high level through three weeks and with the team's increased needs on defense, Blue's number just hasn't been called yet.

“Jaydon’s actually put together a couple really good weeks of practice. He has. We challenged him, we talked to him about consistency, working harder on the scout team and things like that, man it’s huge. Give him credit, he’s been terrific," Schottenheimer said.

"Unfortunately, we’ve been a little bit heavier on the defensive side when you look at the roster construction on game day… in no way, shape or form is Jaydon doing things that would not allow him to be activated, it’s been more of the fact that we’ve needed the numbers with some of the injuries and stuff on defense.”

Blue saw action in the preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons, and finished that game with 25 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. At the time, Schottenheimer called his performance "up and down," but his praise has been higher since then.

During his final season in Austin, the former Longhorn rushed for 730 yards and eight touchdowns, while adding 42 catches for 368 yards and another six scores.