Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Jaydon Blue heard the pre-training camp criticism of his work ethic and turned it into motivation.
A former Cowboys staffer made claims that some within the building viewed Blue as "borderline lazy."
"All that did was add a little fuel to my fire," Blue responded on Wednesday, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Of course, I know I'm not lazy. I know the work I put in. As you can see, I'm having a great camp so far. I'm just ready to continue building on that."
That motivation has translated to the field. The rookie's work has shown early in camp. After starting off with the second team, Blue was elevated to first-team reps on Wednesday, working with Dak Prescott.
"It's fun being in there with Dak, man," Blue said. "He's a very smart quarterback, he's a veteran. He makes our job at the running back position a lot easier, sometimes, he'll tell us where to go. It was fun getting some reps with those guys with the ones, and I'm just looking forward to keeping competing."
Blue brings a needed speed element to the Cowboys' backfield. He's competing with veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders for snaps.
"I think in the spring, he picked it up maybe slower than we had hoped," coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "Not now. He's got it. He's figuring it out. He's one of those guys that doesn't say much, but there's a big-time competitive fire in there. He wants to be great. He wants to be elite. He's talented."
Blue profiles as a pass-catching third-down back. Dallas missed Tony Pollard's speed last season. The rookie brings that element to the table, and then some. At his size (5-foot-9, 198 pounds), Blue might not be an every-down back, but if the Cowboys can trust him in protections, he should have a sizable role early with room to grow.
"My big goal is to win Offensive Rookie of the Year," Blue said. "That's something I want to do, but the main thing is to make the play when my number is called and do everything I can to help this team win."
