The Dallas Cowboys made a bold, but necessary decision to make former first-round pick Mazi Smith a healthy scratch for Week 1 against the Eagles. The move aligns with Brian Schottenheimer preaching from the moment he was hired as head coach that players must earn their roles.
That’s precisely why it was stunning to see Jaydon Blue on the Cowboys’ inactive list. Easily their most explosive and nimble running back, Blue had many convinced during training camp that he’d finish as the team’s leading rusher, even if Javonte Williams opened the year as the starter.
Whatever influenced the decision, it means Dallas' ground game could struggle to, well, get off the ground in rainy conditions at Lincoln Financial Field that could limit the aerial attack.
Cowboys' making Jaydon Blue a healthy scratch doesn't make any sense
What was supposed to be the Javonte Williams and Jaydon Blue show has unexpectedly become the Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders show. Cowboys fans were already uneasy when Sanders made the 53-man roster. He started hot in Oxnard but cooled off quickly, combining a knee injury with a rough preseason debut.
It's possible Dallas is playing it safe with Blue, who missed a lot of time in camp with an ankle injury and aggravated it in the preseason.
A wet surface isn't an ideal setting to continue ramping him up. Taking that into consideration, plus accounting for the hostile Philly atmosphere and the Cowboys having two capable RBs on the roster may explain why Blue was scratched.
If the rushing attack struggles to make waves against an imposing Eagles front seven, Schottenheimer and the coaching staff will have to answer for sitting one of the team's most explosive weapons.
The fifth-round pick out of Texas was among several players fans were excited to watch on Thursday. It's easy to map out why the Cowboys came to the deicison ... and it's just as easy to envision how it might backfire.
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