With Miles Sanders out, Cowboys running back Jaydon Blue will make his long-awaited NFL debut on Sunday. He will serve as the backup to Javonte Williams and could work as a kick returner with KaVontae Turpin also out with injury.
“Very excited,” Blue said, via Tommy Yarrish of the team website. “I’ve waited my time. I’ve stayed patient. I always was told to trust the process, and I knew eventually if I was to stay consistent and work hard that my time would come.
“It was a part of the plan. I’m just excited that I finally get to go out there and showcase my skills.”
Blue, a fifth-round pick, was a healthy scratch for the first four games. He has had his work ethic and his practice habits questioned publicly, and Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer repeatedly has said he needs to see more “consistency” from Blue.
Schottenheimer had a conversation with Blue two weeks ago to discuss what Blue had to do to see the field.
“Just making sure that I’m finishing the right way and practicing hard,” Blue said. “Staying in the playbook, just making sure that I’m doing the small details right so I can be able to perform at the highest level. How I prepare is being more detailed, just the little small things. Whether that’s a play, making sure that I’m being where I was supposed to be on time, being engaged in meetings and stuff like that.”
Blue made a “questionable decision” in Thursday’s practice, according to Schottenheimer.
“He went out there with some cool new cleats — Louis Vuitton Nikes,” Schottenheimer said. “You should go get you a pair, but they give you blisters, and so about halfway through practice I saw him laying there. I was like, ‘What the hell happened to Blue? ‘Oh, coach, I’m fine. I got blisters.’ I was like, ‘Oh, shocker. Look at the cool shoes you got.’
“That’s part of what you deal with in young players. And quickly he changed his cleats, and it’s amazing, the blisters weren’t as bad.”
