No team claimed the second-year running back, one day after Dallas surprised the league by cutting its 2025 fifth-round pick during final roster trims.
Jaydon Blue, a second-year running back and 2025 fifth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys, went unclaimed on waivers, according to NBC Sports' player news desk. The development, reported August 31, 2026, means Blue is now a free agent who can sign with any of the league's 32 teams or return to Dallas on a practice squad contract. His path to free agency began a day earlier, on August 30, when the Cowboys waived him in Frisco, Texas, as part of their move to set a 53-man roster ahead of the 2026 regular season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Blue's situation stems directly from the NFL's waiver system. Because he entered the 2026 season with one accrued season in the league, he was subject to waivers rather than becoming an immediate free agent upon release. That process gave the other 31 teams a window running until Monday at noon Central time to claim his contract. NBC Sports reported that no club stepped forward, clearing Blue to hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
Chiefs Unveil Initial 53-Man Roster For 2026 Season After Final Cuts
From Presumed Backup to Unclaimed in 24 Hours
Blue's release caught much of the football media off guard. He had entered training camp as the presumptive No. 2 running back behind starter Javonte Williams, and Rotoballer described the waiving as a “surprise roster move” given how the Cowboys had handled him just days earlier. Dallas held Blue out of the preseason finale alongside Williams and running back Malik Davis, a decision typically read across the league as a signal that a player's roster spot is secure.
That signal proved misleading. Blue had led the Cowboys in preseason rushing with 94 yards on 23 carries, according to Artvoice's account of the cut, reinforcing the perception that he had entrenched himself in Dallas' plans. NBC Sports' player news summary captured the reversal bluntly, describing Blue's stretch as “quite the fall from grace” after going from the favorite for backup duties to being without a team in roughly a day.
Malik Davis Wins the Backup Job
Multiple outlets tied Blue's departure to a strong training camp from Malik Davis. ESPN reported that Davis “won the position with a strong camp,” while CBS Sports noted the roster moves “indicate that Malik Davis has claimed the No. 2 role behind starter Javonte Williams.” Yahoo-affiliated coverage similarly described Davis as the back who “ultimately emerged” from the competition at the position.
The Cowboys did not stop with Blue. They also waived running back Phil Mafah on the same cut-down day, according to CBS Sports and Bleacher Report, leaving Javonte Williams, Malik Davis and Israel Abanikanda as the club's primary options at the position entering the season. The moves collectively reshaped a running back room that had looked considerably different just weeks earlier.
A Quiet Waiver Market for Running Backs
NBC Sports' reporting noted that the broader waiver wire for running backs was largely inactive during this cut-down period. Only one back, veteran Emari Demercado, was claimed off waivers leaguewide — and it was the Cowboys who claimed him. That detail underscores a notable dynamic: Dallas released its own 2025 fifth-round pick at the position while simultaneously adding a different veteran running back through the same waiver process.
The limited claim activity around running backs generally suggests teams were cautious about committing roster spots to backs without clearly defined feature roles this early in the season, though that broader interpretation reflects analysis from fantasy-focused outlets rather than confirmed team statements.
What Comes Next for Blue
With no team claiming him, Blue's rights now revert to him as a free agent. NBC Sports' report explicitly states he can be signed by any running back-needy team, including the ability to sign onto the Dallas practice squad. ESPN's original report on the waiving similarly noted that if Blue cleared waivers, he would become eligible for practice squad consideration.
Multiple outlets have raised the possibility that Dallas could still bring Blue back in that capacity. A Yahoo-affiliated report stated that Blue's “time in Dallas may not necessarily be finished,” noting the Cowboys could potentially re-sign him to their practice squad now that he has cleared waivers. However, the sources reviewed do not confirm a final outcome, and Cowboys-focused coverage referenced in wire summaries indicates the team was still finalizing decisions on which released running backs, including Blue and Mafah, would return to the practice squad.
Fantasy football analysts have also weighed in on the implications, with NBC Sports describing Blue as having lost most of his fantasy relevance unless he lands in a role with meaningful touches. That assessment reflects fantasy-market analysis rather than any official determination about his NFL future, which remains unresolved as he weighs free-agent options or a potential return to Dallas' practice squad.
