Cowboys Criticized For 'Too Long and Too Cheap' Approach At One Key Position originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys' needs at running back coming into this offseason were no secret prior to the NFL Draft, and yet it took until the fifth round for that need to be filled.
Did Dallas wait too long?
Jaydon Blue taken in the fifth round, and then Phil Mafah was taken in the seventh round.
Maybe the two veterans signed - Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams come to town as affordable free agents - will make this a non-issue.
Or maybe an explosive change is about to occur in terms of the way Dallas does its business here.
Nothing is promised to any of the four (and certainly not to Deuce Vaughn, either). But after the draft, new head coach Brian Schottenheimer claimed that he envisions both Blue and Mafah as starters.
“I would hope so,'' he said, "or otherwise we wouldn't have drafted them.''
In Texas, Blue qualifies as a bit more of a recognizable name ... as he's a sub-4.3 second sprinter and a Longhorn; he can be a home run hitter immediately.
"I always dreamed of having an opportunity to play at the biggest stage, for my home state, for so long, man," said the Houston native Blue.
But ... until last fall, when the Longhorns experienced a host of injuries, he was a third-string back.
And Mafah? He ushed for 2,887 yards and 28 touchdowns in his four college seasons by using his bullish style at Clemson. ... though he doesn't want to be seen as just a big body at 6-1 and 234.
"To me, I feel like I can do a bit of both," Mafah said. "Just being a bigger guy, I feel like I am really light on my feet. I can make defenders miss. I feel like defenses don't really expect that. I like to change it up, to keep them guessing.
"I'd just like to be versatile and just ready to be used any way my team needs me to be, just want to add value, really."
It would seem that Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams - based on our minicamp observations - will get the first crack at the first team. ... but there is a reason they came cheap. Blue and Mafah? Dallas can be excited about them ... but again, there is a reason they were Day 3 picks.
The critics think Dallas might have the worst running back room in the NFL. The Cowboys need to prove that wrong ... and to prove they didn't wait too long or spend too cheaply.
