In what is usually a dull time in the NFL news cycle, Cowboys’ rookie Jaydon Blue sparked headlines after a back-and-forth with some newfound criticism this week.
The former Texas Longhorn and recent Dallas fifth-round draftee has been working with his new squad as they sort out the running back depth chart. It is a major opportunity for Blue to earn starting snaps.
There is only one problem: a former Cowboys coach thinks he isn’t working to do that, and he has made his thoughts very public.
Those comments to the media captured fans’ attention and forced the rookie into addressing the rumors.
In short, Blue and Glenn Smith, an offensive assistant with the franchise from 2000-2001, made for some interesting entertainment over the past few days, so let’s talk about both sides of this summer feud.
Glenn Smith’s Comments: Blue is “lazy,” not working hard
Let’s begin with where this random saga started: Smith, who has been out of the organization for over two decades, told the Locked on Cowboys podcast that the team thinks Blue is “borderline lazy.”
He cited their frustration with his work habits, and this has led to fans and the media calling back to some character concerns that leaked out pre-draft.
Cowboys coaches have expressed that rookie RB Jaydon Blue is "borderline lazy," per former Cowboys coach Glenn Smith.
Blue currently has the 8th-highest ADP out of all rookie RBs. pic.twitter.com/S2TeRiS6jb
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) July 18, 2025
Now, because of those earlier rumors and the fact that Blue is only 21, it is understandable that these comments have sparked intrigue.
It wouldn’t shock anybody to hear this about a young kid with character red flags.
That said, we’re talking about a player being “lazy,” and the team hasn’t even started training camp yet. Is it really fair to publicly question a rookie to that extent when all he’s done in the NFL is minicamp?
Jaydon Blue Fires Back: Calls article “fake,” claims attention-seeking
How did the young running back respond to all of this? Well, let’s just say Jaydon Blue, and a prominent teammate, shared my skepticism with Smith’s comments.
On Friday, Blue took to social media, first calling the report “fake” and all for attention. As all modern-day athletes seem to be great at nowadays, he followed that up with an in-action picture and cryptic quote, essentially saying his production will quiet the noise.
Via IG of #Cowboys Jaydon Blue. pic.twitter.com/W3Y5S6WZeX
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) July 18, 2025
Is it the expected response to claims like this? Yes.
Is it also enjoyable to see this kid stick up for himself a little? Also, yes.
As Blue alluded to, his practice, production, and on-field work are what should make the headlines and sculpt what fans think about him, not comments from the media or coaches from twenty-five years ago.
The Bottom Line: Trust In-House Voices, Not Random Ones
If you’re looking for something to take away here, it’s this: if you, or the team, want to keep an eye on Jaydon Blue and his work ethic, that’s more than fine. He is young, and as those pre-draft reports indicated, potentially on the immature side.
Where this train runs straight off the rails is when Glenn Smith, who, once again, hasn’t been inside the building for quite some time, starts throwing random haymakers.
Dallas, for all its flaws, has run a tight ship in recent years; to think that coaches are calling an important rookie lazy to Smith is more than far-fetched.
I think this is a clear case of hearing one thing from one source and expanding it to make it fit into national headlines. One anecdotal thought from a Cowboys-adjucent guy may be the “coaches” in question regarding Blue’s alleged poor work ethic.
In short, trust the actual voices from inside the house. When the call is coming from outside of it, the reliability of the information often plummets.
Blue never won the starter positions in college. He is a middle 5th round draft choice so he was evaluated as flawed including a fumbling problem. There is no surprise that Blue is called out for his work ethic as that was a predraft evaluation also. Hopefully Blue can overachieve but everyone should temper expectations of a 5th round guy.
He sat behind Brooks, Johnson, Robinson at Texas and was an underclassmen.
Just like the Cowboy Front Office to wait till the fifth rd to draft a position of need. They didn’t draft a RB at all in 2024. I like the speed aspect of this kid, but hate to hear any criticism no matter the source. And this source may actually have some inside knowledge.
Especially in one of the better RB drafts in recent history. So many potential starters to choose from, and they wait until the 5th to draft a kid that never earned a starting job and has a history of not holding onto the ball. But, that’s what I’ve come to expect from this front office.
You apparently don’t know who Blue was sitting behind in college!! There’s a reason he never got the starting job!! And it’s not because he isn’t talented!!
Kyren Williams was a 5th, Bucky Irving a 4th and Tony Pollard was a 4th and every Cowboys fan wanted them with a star on their helmet. Let the kid play a game before we cut him. IJS
This dude worked for the Cowboys for 1 year almost 25 years ago, he don’t have any inside knowledge of anything!!
How do you explain why Blue had not started for the Longhorns the last few years? Ask Sarkisian their head coach!
It’s probably because Blue was behind Bijan Robinson, Rochon Johnson and Jonathan Brooks just to name a few from the last few years!!
“Voices outside the organization”. Nothing more to add. Well, maybe that he hasn’t been with the organization for decades. But here is the thing, he was behind Brooks, Johnson, Robinson at Texas as an underclassmen. What was he supposed to do?
Its funny to me how fans will root for Rico Dowdle (undrafted) and Tony Pollard (4th rounder vs. Blue 5th) and give this kid no shot even though he hasn’t played a down!
Kyren Williams (5th) & Bucky Irving (4th) are the exact same size with similar draft pedigree. Let the kid play and them make the judgement.
Yeah, and what’s even crazier is that these draft experts are comparing Blue to Devon Achane and Alvin Kamara, and they also say that Blue is a better prospect coming out of college than Pollard was!! But then this idiot says Blue is lazy….. So I think I’m gonna go with what the experts say before agreeing to some guy that worked for the Cowboys for 1 year almost 25 years ago!! He has no idea what’s going on with the team now!! He hasn’t been around in almost 25 years, so how does he know what’s going on!? While on the other hand, the draft experts are always watching college football and grading these players every year to predict where they’ll be drafted and they are right more times than not!! But when more than one of them experts say Blue is better than Pollard and that Blue reminds them of a Achane or Kamara, I think I’ll go by what they say before going with what this idiot is saying!! And as far as where Blue was drafted…. I think Blue would’ve been drafted a lot higher than the 5th round if it wasn’t for this draft being so loaded at the position!! The front office actually tried to trade up to draft Blue, but they couldn’t find a trade partner, luckily he fell to us anyways!! I’m excited to see what he does this year!!
I can believe Blue might have shown some lazy, but for some big mouth ex coach of 20 years ago needs to shut his big mouth. He is not on the field and not at any team practices so where is his info coming from? I believe players in general are not getting after it until training camp. We will see Blue start kicking butt when they hand him the ball. Besides what 21 year old isn’t a little immature? You take a few NFL hits and you grow up fast. I think Jaydon Blue will be just fine. He is the fastest RB they have. If Blue is really lazy, it will run off after the first game. He will be running for his life in the NFL. But I like him and he has a place on the team. As for the big mouth guy who started this mess: Keep your big mouth to yourself.