Cowboys Coach Praises 'Night And Day' Change For Jaydon Blue

FRISCO - Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue had an inconsistent rookie season, as he struggled to adjust to life in the NFL.

Problems with maturity and his style of play, as CowboysRoundtable.com was first to detail, saw Blue rely too much on his speed to break through running lanes, and his consistently high-pad level while running was also an issue.

Those were problems on the practice field.

As a result, Blue would end up playing just five games and rushing for 129 yards and a touchdown, which isn't the return the Cowboys were hoping for when they spent a fifth-round pick on the University of Texas speedster.

But now, as OTAs are ongoing here at The Star, we know of Dallas' "Thunder and Lightning" vision for Blue in tandem with Javonte Williams, so the franchise needs/wants Jaydon to come along in his development this offseason.

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Is he developing?

“I think he’s doing great,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer told us this week. “He came back with a different look than what he had his rookie year. I think most rookies have to figure it out.

“He and I had a very candid conversation at the exit interviews, and we just put it all out there, put all the cards on the table. He didn’t like being inactive, and I was very honest with my opinion of why he was inactive.”

So, Blue got a lay of the land and the "why" of what transpired last season.

So ...

There are two ways this could go.

Blue could pout and not do the work, thinking reflectively that he was treated unfairly. Or he could put his nose to the grindstone and work to fulfull this club's vision for him.

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And for Schottenheimer, Blue - who is part of a vision that would see him be RB2 here - has done the latter.

“We had some really great conversations, and he took that, ingested it, and came back with a great look on his face, a great work ethic,'' the coach said.

"His intelligence is off the charts," Schottenheimer added.

Really?

"The guy is football-brilliant,'' the coach said. "He really is. You see the speed and explosiveness. He's going to be a huge part of what we want to do, but he's got to continue to do his part, which he's doing great right now.

“I would say it’s night-and-day from where he was last year.”

Javonte is the No. 1 guy, and Malik Davis and Phil Mafah can also be in the competition here, too.

But "night-and-day'' speaks volumes.

So, it is clear Blue has made good strides in his development, and maybe a second-year leap is coming for the running back. ... as the hopeful Cowboys dangle that carrot on a stick.

Dallas has a plan for Blue in 2026, but that is predicated on him showing the Cowboys he's ready to execute that plan.

And by the sounds of it, things are off to a good start.