Blue, Mafah will get a ‘bunch’ of preseason work

Blue was waived by the Cowboys and went unclaimed, and the 2025 fifth-round pick will remain in the NFC East. He’ll begin the campaign behind Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley as backups to Saquon Barkley, but some strong performances in practice could give the 22-year-old a chance to receive touches in 2026.

Blue now becomes a free agent and can be signed by any running back-needy team, including the ability to sign onto the Dallas practice squad. It has been quite the fall from grace for Blue over the previous 24 hours, seemingly going from the favorite for backup duties for the Cowboys to without a home. It is also noteworthy that only one running back was claimed during the waiver period, veteran Emari Demercado, by this same Cowboys team. Blue appears to have lost all fantasy value and faces an uphill battle for a meaningful role in his sophomore campaign.

Well this one is going to leave a mark. 2025 fifth-rounder Blue was a summer ’25 fantasy creation the Cowboys never seemed to get behind, confirming as much when they made him a Week 1 healthy scratch. That set the tone for a bitterly disappointing rookie year that featured just 39 touches. This offseason seemed to be different, however, with head coach Brian Schottenheimer spending the spring dishing out over-the-top positive quotes on his second-year back. The praise again died down during training camp, but Blue showed well in his preseason action. Just apparently nowhere close to well enough to beat out survivor veteran Malik Davis for No. 2 status behind Javonte Williams. Blue is still only 22 years old, but his back-to-back failures to earn pass-catching duties in a backfield that could really use such a player is an ominous sign for his NFL future. He’s now a tenuous hold in dynasty leagues despite his youth and past high expectations. All of that being said, it is possible once the cut-down dust settles that either Blue or fellow waived sophomore Phil Mafah end up back on the Cowboys’ 53-man roster.

Mafah became the odd man out of the backfield rotation behind starter Javonte Williams Sunday, and Jaydon Blue also being waived leaves Malik Davis as the primary backup in Dallas at the start of the season.

Davis appears to have secured a roster spot, but we won’t know for sure until Sunday. The broadcast initially referred to him as the starter, but it was instead RB Phil Mafah who took the field. Mafah dominated backfield touches throughout the first half, repeatedly running into Saints defenders on runs up the middle. He was spelled by RB Israel Abanikanda. Cowboys RB Jaydon Blue does not seem to be playing this evening. Last Sunday, The Athletic’s Jon Machota predicted Blue would seize the No. 2 running back job from Davis in-season.

Davis got the start in Saturday’s preseason game against the Cardinals, rushing five times for 29 yards while adding one catch for eight yards and a touchdown. The 27-year-old back has gained steam in recent weeks as the favorite to win the Cowboys’ RB2 job out of camp, but Machota also said he believes “Jaydon Blue takes (the RB2 job) during the season.” Blue rushed 15 times for a team-high 75 yards in Saturday’s win over the Cardinals, ripping off multiple chunk gains on the day. While we still have one preseason game left to go, Ultimately if Javonte Williams goes down this will likely be a committee, but Davis could have some stash value in deeper leagues.

Blue led all Cowboys running backs in snaps, but played on just two snaps on the team’s opening drive of the game compared to Malik Davis’ 10. Davis would see just four snaps the rest of the way compared to Blue’s 24, but the second-year back made the most of his opportunities. Blue’s 75 rushing yards led all Cowboys players, with eight of his carries going for five or more yards. His usage, which extended into the third quarter, suggests Blue is battling with Phil Mafah and Israel Abanikanda for the RB3 role, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise after it was reported last week that Blue was the fourth player up in drills. It was a strong showing for Blue, who will need another convincing outing in the team’s preseason finale next week against the Saints.

The good news is that Blue took “some” snaps in team drills for the first time this week, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. The bad news is that Blue was the fourth player up behind starting RB Javonte Williams and fellow backups RB Malik Davis and RB Israel Abanikanda. Earlier today, COO and co-owner Stephen Jones said Blue and RB Phil Mafah were being “pushed” by Davis. While it’s possible the team is just easing Blue back into action, his spot in the rotation, coupled with Jones’ comments, is concerning. He had received positive reviews to this point, but a fantasy-related reassessment may be in order. The backfield rotation in Saturday’s preseason game against the Cardinals is worth tracking.

Blue was able to go for the preseason opener against the Seahawks on Saturday, but was held out of action for the combined practice. He’s attempting to win the backup tailback job and competing with Phil Mafah and perhaps Malik Davis for that honor.

This news comes from Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill Jr., who also noted that Blue “got a lot of work with the first team” during Thursday’s practice. Blue is entering his second season with the Cowboys and has reportedly turned in a strong first two days of camp, ripping off one big run after another while mixing in with the starters. He appeared in just five games last season, rushing for 38-129-1 while also catching one pass, but this isn’t the first time Blue’s pass-catching abilities have been highlighted during the offseason. Earlier this month, The Athletic’s Jon Machota said Blue was “the ideal fit” to complement Javonte Williams, specifically because of his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. We’re still in the very early days of camp, but Blue could make for an interesting late-round stash in PPR leagues this season and may even have some standalone value in deeper leagues if he can earn a reliable role in what’s expected to be a pass-heavy offense.