Preseason football is nearly upon us, and the Dallas Cowboys are busy working out who will take part and who won’t.
One area that has gotten attention is the running back room.
Javonte Williams, much like last offseason, isn’t likely to feature, meaning Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah, Malik Davis, Israel Abanikanda and Jashaun Corbin are all set to see the field, not only in Seattle on Saturday night, but also Dallas’ other preseason games.
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Well, that is what we think will happen, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer and his staff are still working out exactly how many snaps each will get.
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But as far as the running back room, Schottenheimer revealed the plan for Blue and Mafah, the two at the top of the depth chart behind Williams.
“I’m excited about the running back room that we’ve built,” Schottenheimer said. “Ithink Javonte probably won’t get a whole lot of run this preseason, so Jaydonand Phil are going to get a bunch of work. They’re in a tight battle for thebackup running back spot.”
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As for the others in Davis, Abanikanda and Corbin, Schottenheimer stated “we’ll rollthose guys through pretty well,” so expect to see a lot of them in preseason.
But there is no denying that the one who everyone is interested in is Blue.
After his poor rookie season, Blue has come into camp and looked like a completely different player. More mature, by his own words, Blue has stacked good days in Oxnard, and while he had the fumble in the joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams, it doesn’t hurt his 2026 stock.
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But what might is if he doesn’t show something substantial at Lumen Field on Saturday.
So, what is he looking to do against the Seahawks?
“Just continue to do what I’m doing in camp,” Blue said. “To show the coaches and my teammates that I’m willing, I’m ready to take on the next role in this offense. Hopefully I can get a 50 or 60-yard [run] so I can come out and be done the rest of the game. But continue to improve, get better at the things that I’m improving on.”
So, the plan is in place for Blue and the other backs, with these preseason games determining who backs up Williams, plus who makes the roster.
For some, preseason games are meaningless, but for this running back room, including Blue, it means everything.