Despite showing newfound maturity and versatility, the former Texas speedster faces a high-stakes preseason finale against the Saints to secure his spot in a crowded Dallas backfield.
This offseason was always going to be a big one for Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue.
After a rookie season that was so-so, he knew he had to come to preseason ready to take his game to the next level, both physically and mentally.
And through two preseason games, you can make the case that Blue has, however that might not be enough to warrant winning the backup running back job.
Right now, if it were me, that belongs to Malik Davis.
On Friday night, the former Texas Longhorns speedster gets one more crack at it, as the Saints are at AT&T Stadium to play Dallas in the preseason finale.
One last chance.
Like so many guys still on the UT roster, Blue possesses a world-class explosiveness; it's one of the reasons the 2026 Longhorns, led by QB Arch Manning, are viewed as being "loaded'' and on the path to national title contention.
The fact that we have seen improvement in Blue is a positive. Whether it is enough to be a constant cog in Brian Schottenheimer's offense is another matter entirely, but Blue has been far better than he was a year ago.
But when did Schottenheimer notice there was something different about No. 23 this offseason?
"He came back with a different mentality, which is great," Schottenheimer said. "He's always been extremely bright and picked up the scheme very, very well. It's been good for us to see him take the next step in certain areas, whether it's pass protection, in the return game, but I noticed it.
"I noticed it early on that there was a little bit different intentionality about him."
So, the head coach has taken notice.
Unfortunately for Blue, Davis has, in preseason games, outplayed him, while Phil Mafah and Israel Abanikanda have both had their moments in the sun.
Likely to keep three running backs, the fight is on to see who will be the ones who survive the roster cuts.
And while Blue has gotten the attention of Schottenheimer, the head coach delivered a little dose of reality to the former Texas Longhorn.
"He's got to continue to compete because that's a deep room as well," Schottenheimer added. "We'll see how we figure out the rotation, but it was early on for sure."
So, the big takeaway here is that the competition is far from over, and the third and final preseason game against the New Orleans Saints might be the deciding factor in how the room shapes up in 2026.
Javonte Williams is the starter, but behind him? It's a group of backs who are fighting for their NFL lives over the next week.
Who survives and who doesn't? Longhorns fans will be rooting for Blue to get the job done tonight.
