GLENDALE, Ariz. — Jaydon Blue did not practice at any point during the week, then led all rushers in the Dallas Cowboys‘ 34-13 preseason win over the Arizona Cardinals with 15 carries for 75 yards.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said a shoulder issue is what had kept Blue out of practice. The staff wanted to see what he could do with it anyway.
Blue’s two longest runs Saturday went for 15 and 10 yards. The 15-yarder came up the middle at the two-minute warning of the second quarter and moved Dallas to the Arizona 39, four plays before Brandon Aubrey kicked a 50-yard field goal to close the half.
Six of the 15 carries came on the opening drive of the second half, an 11-play, 57-yard possession that produced Aubrey’s 29-yarder. Blue gained 30 yards on that stretch and converted three first downs on second down.
He played 27 offensive snaps, 46% of the Dallas total, and three more on special teams.
What The Staff Asked For
The step Blue said the coaching staff wanted from him this year runs through pass protection as much as it does explosiveness.
“Show that explosiveness. Not only that, but be able to pass protect,” Blue said. “Like you said, they want me to take this offense to the next level. I took that to the heart, and I was like, I have to get better if I want to have a role in this offense. That’s just what I’m trying to do, just trying to get better each and every day, every practice, every game, and just improve my game.”
Blue is in his second season under running backs coach Derrick Foster, who came to Dallas in February 2025 after a year with New Orleans and three with the Los Angeles Chargers. Schottenheimer is the other name Blue puts on his preparation.
“First thing is just trusting my preparation, trusting Coach Foster, Schotty, and all of them. They play a big part in that,” Blue explained. “But at the same time, being able to play fast. When I can play fast, I feel like I can play free. And I feel like I’m much more comfortable in this system than I was last year.”
Blue also hurdled an Arizona defender during the game, a play he described as a reaction rather than something he goes looking for.
“It was just a reaction thing. I seen the safety coming fast and low. So I was just like, I’m about to jump,” Blue said. “But that’s something that I don’t really do, but I have it in my bag.”
The Room Behind Him
Javonte Williams was among the 29 players Dallas held out in Glendale. Williams carried 252 times for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns in 16 games last season and added 35 catches for 137 yards and two more scores.
Three other backs got carries Saturday. Israel Abanikanda ran eight times for 39 yards, all of it in the fourth quarter. Malik Davis carried five times for 29 yards and caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Joe Milton III in the first quarter. Phil Mafah took his only handoff 15 yards around left end for the game’s final touchdown with 2:05 to play.
Dallas finished with 175 rushing yards on 34 carries and averaged 5.1 per attempt. Schottenheimer went through the depth of that room unprompted after the game, naming Abanikanda, Mafah, and Davis in the same breath.
Davis ran 52 times for 250 yards and two touchdowns across 10 games in 2025. Abanikanda has not appeared in a regular-season game since his rookie year with the New York Jets in 2023; Dallas signed him to the practice squad on Nov. 30 and to a futures deal on Jan. 6. Mafah played one game as a rookie and scored on five carries.
Second-Year Numbers
Blue appeared in five games as a rookie and rushed 38 times for 129 yards and a touchdown, averaging 3.4 per carry with a long of 27. He caught one pass for 5 yards and lost a fumble.
Saturday’s 5.0 average was the product of a wider spread of gains. Blue lost 3 yards on one first-quarter carry and gained at least 5 yards on eight of the other 14.
He also returned one kickoff 26 yards in the second quarter, taking it out from the Dallas 2 to the 28. Davis and Mafah handled the other three Dallas kickoff returns, with Mafah taking two for 40 yards and Davis one for 31.
The Cowboys host the New Orleans Saints on Friday at 7 p.m. CT at AT&T Stadium in the preseason finale. The game airs on CBS 11 and ESPN. Dallas trims to 53 players before the regular-season opener against the New York Giants on Sept. 13.
