From the outside, Jaydon Blue looked like a player worthy of all the hype.
The Dallas Cowboys had drafted Blue out of the University of Texas, and the fifth-round RB came to the NFL with all the speed in the world.
But Blue was hurt some during the preseason, and when the regular season got here, Blue was a healthy scratch more often than not.
Turns out, maybe everyone was wrong on Blue.
Well, not everyone. Former Cowboys coach Glenn "Stretch" Smith said in the preseason that he had heard Blue was "borderline lazy."
There haven't been new reports to update that, but it would explain why the youngster has been passed over at various times by Malik Davis, who wasn't even with the Cowboys at the start of the year.
MORE: Booger McFarland weighs in on Lions' nose-picking celebrations
A tough rookie season doesn't spell doom for Blue, although RB is one of the more fickle positions in the NFL these days. Teams aren't shy about cutting a draft pick after just a year.
Once the Cowboys are officially eliminated from the playoffs, maybe they'll give Blue a chance to show what he can do in extended action. But maybe not, if he hasn't been doing what's expected from him away from gameday.
It's certainly not how anyone wanted things to work out with Blue, but sometimes players don't have everything it takes to make it work in the professional ranks.
More NFL news:
- Jaxson Dart has a 50% head injury problem
- ACL recovery timeline impacts when Patrick Mahomes, Micah Parsons will return
- The Packers had a chance to sign an all-time great for $5 million and passed
- Tua Tagovailoa's contract looks like a nightmare
- Bills may not win the AFC East — but they sent a clear warning to the rest of the NFL
- We now know what the Colts are paying Philip Rivers