Dallas Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue (23) hurdles Arizona Cardinals safety Wydett Williams Jr. (31) during the first half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in Phoenix.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
FRISCO — The 2026 summer for Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue has been better than last year.
As the Cowboys enter their final preseason game Friday against the Saints, discussions about Blue maturing as a football player have taken center stage over 2025.
The talk about football cleats that cause blisters, fumbling and pass protection issues are nearly gone.
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“I think he came back with a different mentality, which is great,” coach Brian 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, whether it’s some of the stuff in the return game.”
Last year, one of the main topics surrounding Blue, a 2025 fifth-round pick from Texas, was about him wearing Nike cleats to a practice with a Louis Vuitton logo stitched on them. The cleats gave him blisters and he switched them out.
That little tidbit was revealed by Schottenheimer to reporters. The “Louis” cleats gained traction on social media.
During the season, Blue struggled to gain playing time. He wasn’t going to gain much, anyway, but he struggled in pass protection and gaining a command of the offense.
There was also a thought Schottenheimer shouldn’t have called out his then-rookie running back. But Schottenheimer has always been honest with reporters about his players.
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Blue didn’t take Schottenheimer revealing his issues in public in a negative light, especially the cleats.
“I know he jokes a lot,” Blue said. “He’s a great guy, so I don’t really take it to heart. He’s joked with me about it a few times, so it’s not really him making fun of me or nothing. It was funny to him because when I first wore the LV cleats and I was taking them off, he was like, ‘What’s wrong? ’ I was like, ‘They giving me blisters or whatever.’ And then he started laughing. He was like, ‘See, man, I can’t be wearing these fancy cleats like that.’ Of course, I learned from it and I got the exact size for those type of cleats and I was to get the next size up.”
When the 2025 season ended, Blue had played in five games, gaining 129 yards on 38 carries. He rushed for 64 yards on 16 carries with his first career touchdown in the regular season finale against the Giants.
This offseason Blue got serious about his profession. If he was going to use his speed and ability to shake past defenders as a running back, he first needed to lock in on special teams. Getting cut wasn’t a possibility, however, becoming active on game days was a bit of an issue.
If the Cowboys use Blue to back up starter Javonte Williams, he needed to protect quarterback Dak Prescott. Pass protection was an issue for Blue, not so much because of his 5-9 size, but his ability to become physical and recognize where extra defenders charge after Prescott.
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“Man, just being more decisive,” Blue said of his progression. “Of course, I was never really a bad pass protector, but I feel like I’ve improved a lot in that area. So that was the main two areas that I was focusing on more this offseason, just making sure that I put more weight on my body so I’d be able to maintain those blocks.”
Fumbling was another one of those issues for the running back.
Blue’s hand size, 8 ¼, is considered small, which leads to fumbles. Williams’ hand size is 9 3/8th and Phil Mafah, another backup running back, is measured at 9 ½. Protecting the ball is, of course, important for a running back and Blue fumbled twice in camp, including in the joint practice against the Rams.
After the fumble against the Rams on Aug. 11, Blue played in two preseason games and in a joint practice against the Saints with no turnovers.
It speaks about Blue’s offseason and how he came in determined to improve his overall game.
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“I noticed it early on that there was a little bit different intentionality about him,” Schottenheimer said. “But, again, he’s got to continue to compete because that’s a deep room as well. And we’ll see how we figure out the rotation, but it was early on for sure.”
The Cowboys might keep four running backs: Williams and fullback Hunter Luepke, and after that, well, it’s a deep group. Malik Davis started over Blue in the second preseason game at Arizona and led the team in rushing with 75 yards on 15 carries.
There is one more preseason game for Blue to showcase his skills. He looks good so far.
“Yeah, man, it’s fun, man. We enjoy competing against each other,” Blue said. “We know that this is a competition, but we all learn stuff from each other. We all try to push each other, make each other better. But the main thing, man, we know this is a competition. We have a lot of love for each other in that room.”