Week 1 of the NFL Preseason is the best way for players on the fringe of the roster to impress and maybe lock their spot in the 53-man group. The Dallas Cowboys are playing their first preparatory game of the season, and Jaydon Blue is one of the players who has a lot to prove.
Blue, a fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft, needs to have a good preseason to guarantee himself a spot on the Cowboys’ roster. His initial snaps against the Seattle Seahawks, however, split fans’ opinions on whether he’s a good enough player.
NFL Community Split on Jaydon Blue’s Performances Against the Seattle Seahawks
Blue struggled to run the football. While context is important, with the Cowboys’ running back playing with a backup offensive line, he only generated 19 yards through 8 carries, at the time of writing.
The critics came in full force against his performance, especially his lack of explosiveness and his struggles to break any tackles.
Cowboys reporter Marcus Mosher, one of the most prominent voices about the team on social media, wasn’t impressed. “There is just no power to Jaydon Blue’s game. None”, he wrote during the first half.
There is just no power to Jaydon Blue’s game. None.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) August 16, 2026
Another user, unsatisfied with his performance, wrote, “Jaydon Blue has zero contact balance, and stops at first contact,” while analyzing his runs against Seattle.
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A third user noted how Blue’s performance won’t move the needle for extra snaps during the regular season, meaning that Javonte Williams should still be the lead back by a huge margin. “Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah showing nothing to damage Javonte’s role”, he said.
But the reviews about his performance also included positive views. He added 15 yards with two receptions from screen passes, something that could be useful for Dallas when they have the ball.
Cowboys reporter RJ Ochoa was happy with what he saw from the running back, especially in the passing game. “Jaydon Blue and Jonathan Mingo are the big winners right now. Lots of time to go, obvs”, said Ochoa.
Jaydon Blue and Jonathan Mingo are the big winners right now.
Lots of time to go, obvs.
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) August 16, 2026
Patrik Walker, a staff writer for the Dallas Cowboys, also praised the running back for his performance in the first half against the Seahawks. He noted how Blue instantly attacked when running through the inside gaps, while serving as a quick option for his quarterback;
“One thing I’ve noticed early about Jaydon Blue is his physicality — getting a lot of handoffs into the A and B gap, save for the quick pass in space, and he’s pushing guys forward, and not getting knocked back. a good sign for him, along with ball security thus far”, said Walker.
one thing i’ve noticed early about Jaydon Blue is his physicality — getting a lot of handoffs into the A and B gap, save for the quick pass in space, and he’s pushing guys forward, and not getting knocked back.
a good sign for him, along with ball security thus far. #Cowboys
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) August 16, 2026
And finally, Cowboys fan Ben Speedy put his numbers in context of the offensive line in front of him. “Jaydon Blue is actually looking pretty good given what he’s working with out in front”, he wrote.
There’s no doubt that Javonte Williams will be the starter for the offense. He was excellent in 2025, with 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns after signing as a free agent. Our PFN RB Impact Metric ranked him as No. 15 with a 77.4 grade.
There’s a real battle for becoming the No. 2 running back in Dallas, though, and it will depend on how the coaching staff pretends to use these guys. The split opinions on Blue show that nothing is guaranteed, but his role as a pass catcher will definitely help him.
