One Dallas Cowboys Position Battle Just Took an Interesting Turn

Entering training camp, Malik Davis was believed to be the favorite for the Dallas Cowboys' RB2 job behind Javonte Williams, but Jaydon Blue is quickly turning the tide.

Blue desperately needed a better showing from the jump this offseason after what was a disappointing rookie campaign in which he failed to earn the trust of the coaching staff, an issue that led to Blue barely seeing the field in 2025.

But the 2025 fifth-round pick has shown signs of improvement since the spring and has regularly received praise from head coach Brian Schottenheimer for his growth.

“Night and day from where he was last year," Schottenheimer said of Blue in June.

Jaydon Blue firmly in hunt for RB2

We're seeing that growth early on in training camp and it has put Blue firmly in position to beat out Davis for the backup running back job.

Blue has made standout plays over the first two sessions, and so much so that Schottenheimer listed Blue as one of the biggest standouts from Day 1.

Blue was especially impressive Thursday, when the Texas product ripped off multiple big gains on the ground and displayed his speed and cutback ability.

Jaydon Blue 👀👀👀

And Dak LOVES it! 😂 pic.twitter.com/aGnE3pliZb
— DLLS Cowboys (@DLLS_Cowboys) July 30, 2026

“My speed is what I’m best at," Blue said, per Jon Machota of The Athetlic. "Once I get in the open field and it’s one-on-one, I don’t think anyone in this league can stand a chance.”

Blue's explosiveness is certainly a huge asset, but his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield is another plus the Cowboys are intrigued by, especially with so much attention on Dallas' elite wide receiver duo.

“I think what we feel like we have in Jaydon when you’re playing defenses that are trying to change the math and cheat to really elite receivers, which we have, there’s usually a favorable matchup in that regard,” Schotty said, per Clarence Hill of DLLS Sports.

While Blue didn't get much of an opportunity to showcase his pass-catching prowess in 2025, he did so in college.

After a sophomore campaign that saw him reel in 14 catches for 135 yards and one touchdown, Blue caught a whopping 42 balls for 368 yards and six scores in his junior season.

When you combine Blue's explosiveness with all of the attention Cowboys receivers are getting, the second-year back could amount to a lethal weapon in the passing game.

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