The Dallas Cowboys needed to address their running back room this offseason in a big way, and thus far, it has been a mixed review to say the least.
In free agency, Dallas brought in Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams, hoping to add some veteran presence. They also drafted speedster running back Jaydon Blue out of the University of Texas in the fifth round, who is expected to be able to come in and compete for the starting job right away if he has an impressive showing in camp.
However, despite the largely consistent praise for Blue so far this offseason from media across the NFL landscape, one former Cowboys coach isn’t buying it and is concerned with the way he has gone about things since being drafted.
“I’m already hearing some rumblings out of the building about the running back that they drafted and him being, you know, kind of just borderline lazy, not in the building, doing his off-season workouts,” former Cowboys assistant Glenn Smith said during an appearance on Locked On Cowboys.
“So maybe he’s saying, hey, one Longhorn to the other Longhorn, get your a** in here and let’s get going a little bit. Because I think that that’s a firm message that needs to be sent.”
Blue, of course, has already signed his rookie deal, inking a four-year, $4.6 million contract with Dallas earlier this offseason. And with his contract in place, it would be standard and expected for him to be conducting his offseason workouts within the team’s facility and around his new teammates.
These are also not the first concerns about Blue’s work ethic we have seen either.
That said, asserting that Blue is ‘lazy’ due to these decisions is a stretch in its own right, especially considering the fact that he was a full attendee for OTAs and minicamp, and drew rave reviews for his performance there.
Nevertheless, Smith doubled down on his take, claiming that without Blue being in the building in July, he has created doubt within the organization, and it is now up to him to prove that he can be relied upon in 2025.
“I think when they don’t know you, when they don’t know what your work habits are… Well, now all of a sudden, you created doubt in the organization,” he added. “You created doubt with the coaching staff, if we’re, if we’re, if we’re putting you in the game on this third down, and we, can we count on you to go block that Sam linebacker? When can we count on you to pick up this guy from a blitz standpoint?
“And so, from an accountability standpoint, when they don’t know who you are and you’re already (messing) around, it’s just the NFL, I mean it. I realize college guys are getting paid, and I realize all of that, but telling you I’m just giving you right up front. I’m concerned about this pick at the University of Texas, and I think he’s got to eliminate the doubt that’s in the room right now.”
Last season with the Longhorns, Blue excelled as a receiver out of the backfield, catching 42 passes for 368 yards and six more scores.
He also rushed 134 times for 730 yards and eight touchdowns, including 14 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns vs. Clemson in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals vs. Clemson – one of which came from 38 yards out, with the other from 77 yards.
Smith was with the Cowboys during the 2000 and 2001 seasons as part of Dave Campo’s regime that went 10-22 over that stretch of time, the worst stretch of Cowboys football since the 1988 and 1989 seasons, in which Dallas went 4-28.
He has not been with an NFL team since.
