Dallas Cowboys fans hoped the team would address their need at running back in the 2025 NFL Draft after losing top rusher Rico Dowdle in free agency. The Cowboys didn't do so as urgently as diehard supporters may have wanted, but some help in the backfield was finally added in the fifth round with the selection of Texas running back Jaydon Blue at pick No. 149.

Some mock drafts projected Ashton Jeanty to Dallas at their No. 12 selection, presuming that the top running back available would still be on the board. However, the Las Vegas Raiders selected Jeanty at No. 6, leaving the Cowboys to either pick a playmaking receiver or help on either the offensive or defensive lines.

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Then, the Carolina Panthers beat Dallas to receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the No. 8 pick, infuriating Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons who viewed the Arizona wideout as an ideal partner for CeeDee Lamb.

Ultimately, the Cowboys fortified their offensive line with their first-round pick, selecting Alabama guard Tyler Booker. That may not have appeased anyone who wanted a playmaker at a skill position. But Parsons was quickly won over by Booker's ruthless approach toward opposing linemen, saying "the brand of football I play, I make guys not love football anymore."

Blue isn't a workhorse running back who can carry an offense with 20-plus carries. He surpassed 15 carries only once in his final season with the Longhorns, rushing 24 times against Louisiana-Monroe. Blue wasn't even the featured back for Texas, splitting carries with Quintrevion Wisner.

Dowdle led the Cowboys last season with 1,079 yards and two touchdowns on 235 carries. Blue likely won't match that production, but he won't be asked to either.

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Javonte Williams will probably be No. 1 on the RB depth chart. He didn't carry a featured back workload during his past three seasons either, but did rush for 903 yards as a rookie for the Denver Broncos. Dallas also added Miles Sanders in free agency. He has six NFL seasons on his odometer, but he also rushed for 800 yards or more in three of those years, highlighted by 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.

What Blue will add to the depth chart is blazing speed. He ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, despite groin and hamstring injuries. And he reportedly was even faster at the Longhorns' pro day, clocking the 40 in 4.28 seconds.

That could be an excellent mix with Williams and Sanders, much like Jahmyr Gibbs provides alongside David Montgomery for the Detroit Lions. New offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, hired to improve the Cowboys' blocking schemes and running game, certainly hopes so.