It's almost time for Dallas Cowboys fans, and the NFL world as a whole, to get their first real look at Jaydon Blue.
The Cowboys open the season on Thursday night in the league's curtain raiser, a regular season game number one against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. And the speedy running back from Texas will get the chance to make his debut.
Dallas totally revamped its running back room this offseason. Rico Dowdle left for Carolina, and in his place came four new faces: veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, and rookies Blue and Phil Mafah.
It's Blue who has found a way to generate the most hype this summer. Even while battling August injuries, he remained a popular fantasy football sleeper pick and a guy that Cowboys fans really want to see get the most work he can.
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ESPN's Matt Bowen provided his latest analysis in a breakdown over the weekend, one in which he seems to like Blue to make an impact this season:
"Blue's 4.38 speed and matchup ability as a receiver could allow him to get reps in the Dallas backfield. At 5-9 and 196 pounds, Blue is best suited to press the ball to the edges as a runner, while he wins on backfield releases. Blue missed time in camp because of an injury, but he is worth a late-round add in PPR leagues."
You can't teach speed.
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Williams and Sanders both entered the league with a lot of promise and even had flashes of early stardom, but they couldn't quite stick and are now into the journeyman phase of their careers. Both could still be solid contributors, but it seems the upside may not quite be there.
That's what Blue has going for him. He has upside, or at least the potential of it. And so on Thursday night, when the rookie who changed his number from 34 to 22 gets into the game, Cowboys fans and fantasy players everywhere will be watching closely. There's no telling how good he can be.
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