Tag: KaVontae Turpin

WATCH: Cowboys return ace KaVontae Turpin dominates Pro Bowl… on defense?!?

From @ToddBrock24f7: The only player to notch both a punt return TD and a kick return TD this year also tallied two sacks while playing defense in the Pro Bowl.

Speed kills in the NFL. Even more so in flag football.

So it’s perhaps no surprise that Cowboys return specialist KaVontae Turpin, easily one of the fastest men in the league, stood out even among the sport’s all-stars in the flag football finale of the 2025 Pro Bowl Games in Orlando.

But Turpin being the NFC’s most impactful defensive player? That wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card.

The third-year pro had an outstanding season, despite the Cowboys’ thoroughly underwhelming 7-10 record. Of all kick returners leaguewide who had more than 12 chances, Turpin’s 33.6-yard average was tops, and his 10.9-yard punt return average was seventh-highest among those with double-digit tries. Most notably, he was the only player in the NFL to return both a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown in 2024, with his 99-yard spin-move house call versus Washington serving as one of the most electrifying moments of the entire 272-game schedule.

Special teams is what put him into his second Pro Bowl, one of five Cowboys honored with a berth this year. But Cowboys fans saw Turpin take a leap in his pass-catching prowess, too. After being used only sparingly in the passing attack over his first two seasons, the 28-year-old was Dallas’s fourth-most-targeted wide receiver, earning his first two starts at WR and finishing the 2024 campaign with 31 catches for 420 yards (all far and away career-highs) while playing on nearly 27% of the offense’s snaps.

But it was Turpin’s pass-rush skills that caught everyone’s attention on Sunday. Sent on with the defense by NFC coach Eli Manning, Turpin used his otherworldly quickness to catch Joe Burrow well behind the line of scrimmage for one sack on a two-point conversion attempt…

…And then pinned Russell Wilson for a nine-yard loss later in the game.

All told, Turpin ended the exhibition with five tackles, including a touchdown-saving stop when he chased down Brian Thomas Jr. from behind and pulled his flag at the 1-yard-line.

It was a dominant effort playing a completely foreign position, enough so that Turpin himself thought he’d be coming home with some hardware.

“I feel like on defense on the blitz I got the quarterbacks rattled and had them throwing fast balls,” Turpin said per the Orlando Sentinel. “I was supposed to win MVP. I don’t know why they didn’t give it to me. But it’s all fun and games and I feel like everybody had fun and it was all worth it.”

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(Jared Goff and Byron Murphy ended up taking home the MVP trophies after the NFC’s 76-63 win.)

Turpin’s performance, though, may have some legitimately wondering if he’ll be deserving of a spot on the Team USA roster when flag football makes its debut at the 2028 Olympic Games. At the very least, maybe new Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus would want to consider designing a few special packages that use Turpin in 2026.

Of course, Turpin may find a bit more pass-rush resistance when the opposing team is allowed to deploy actual offensive linemen.

But for one day in Orlando, at least, Turpin was a one-man wrecking crew… on defense.

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Cowboys have 1 first-team AP All-Pro in 2024, 2 second-teamers

The Associated Press has revealed its All-Pro Team for 2024, and Cowboys fans will notice the same kind of dropoff from 2023 that they saw on the actual field all season long. After putting a league-high nine players on the first and second teams …

The Associated Press has revealed its All-Pro Team for 2024, and Cowboys fans will notice the same kind of dropoff from 2023 that they saw on the actual field all season long.

After putting a league-high nine players on the first and second teams last year, Dallas has just one first-teamer and two second-team All-Pros after their disappointing 7-10 campaign.

The Associated Press began naming All-Pro Teams in 1940, with the best players at each position selected by a national panel of AP media members. There is no AFC-versus-NFC designation, with players from both conferences making up both the first-team (top vote-getters) and the second-team (runners-up) rosters.

Cowboys kick returner KaVontae Turpin was the only Cowboys player to make the AP’s first team this season. He led the league in kick return yards in 2024 and was named to the Pro Bowl. This is his first All-Pro Selection.

The second team features CeeDee Lamb as one of the three wide receivers, along with Washington’s Terry McLaurin and Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown. (Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, and Amon-Ra St. Brown make up the first-team WR corps.) Lamb was seventh in the league in both targets and receptions and ninth in receiving yards, despite missing the final two games of the season. Lamb was a first-team All-Pro last year and a second-teamer previously in 2022.

Also on the second team for 2024 is kicker Brandon Aubrey. (Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell took first-team honors.) Aubrey had a league-high 47 field goal attempts this season, and his 41 field goals made were just one behind the leader, Boswell. Aubrey’s 65-yarder was the longest three-pointer made across the NFL this season and the second-longest kick conversion of all time. Aubrey was the AP’s first-team kicker last season in his rookie campaign.

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Zack Martin and DaRon Bland were named first-team All-Pros in 2023. Dak Prescott, Tyron Smith, Tyler Smith, Micah Parsons, and Bryan Anger received second-team honors a season ago. All were passed over entirely in 2024.

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Cowboys land just 1 player on Players’ All-Pro Team for 2024

From @ToddBrock24f7: KaVontae Turpin was selected by active NFL players as the best kick return man in the game. He’s the only Cowboy to make the 2024 squad.

For the third year in a row, the NFL Players’ Association has put together its own all-star squad, voted on solely by players choosing the best of the best at their own positions and the positions they line up against.

The Players’ All-Pro Team was started last year as “the first true representation of players recognizing the best of us,” according to then-NFLPA president and former Browns center JC Tretter. (The honor is not to be confused with the All-Pro award; that roster will be revealed by the Associated Press in the coming days.)

This year, only one Cowboys player meets that criterion. KaVontae Turpin was chosen as the Players’ All-Pro-Team kick returner for 2024.

Turpin led the league with 904 kick return yards, and his 33.5-yard average was tops among all specialists who returned a dozen or more kicks this season. He was one of just seven NFL players to return a kick for a touchdown in 2024.

His 99-yard spin-move score in the Week 12 win over Washington stands as perhaps the most memorable play of the Cowboys’ season and one of the most-replayed moments on an NFL field all year.

The 2023 team featured five Cowboys (CeeDee Lamb, Zack Martin, Tyler Smith, DaRon Bland, Brandon Aubrey) representing all three phases of the game. But, just like everything else on the field in Dallas, 2024 saw a disappointing dropoff.

Turpin previously made the 2023 Players’ All-Pro Team, as the punt returner. Martin was also included on that inaugural squad.

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To determine the Players’ All-Pro Team, active players vote only for their own position group and the position group(s) they line up directly against. Players get one vote only for each of those slots and are not allowed to vote for themselves. Designated player leaders from each team vote for special teamers. Players who missed five or more games as of Week 15 were ineligible for the vote.

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2025 Free Agency: Cowboys have intriguing mix of legends, RFAs, ERFAs, and coaches’ faves

Dallas free agency decision begin with their RFAs, ERFAs, injured Cowboys’ greats, and coaches faves. | From @cdpiglet

There are some huge decisions for the Cowboys to make with their long list of free agents. With the number of holes on Dallas’ roster, it will be difficult for the Cowboys not to bring back every pending free agent on a restricted rights or exclusive rights contract. In addition, they’ll need to decide whether to make an effort to get back long-time contributors who ended the year on IR and a group of players who seem tied to the current coaching staff.

An exclusive rights free agent is a player with an expired contract and less than three accrued seasons in the NFL. A restricted free agent is a player with an expired contract, but only three accrued seasons in the league, keeping them from being unrestricted.

To keep a restricted free agent, Dallas has to offer him a predetermined one-year deal, known as a “tender.” If they do, the Cowboys can match any free agent deal the player signs for another team or receive draft compensation from the new team he signs with. Dallas could offer a first or second-round tender that would earn Dallas a subsequent draft choice from the team the player signed with. An original round tender would give the Cowboys a draft pick from the round he was originally drafted in, or they could offer a right to first refusal to match any offer the player agrees to.

Interior offensive lineman Brock Hoffman, safety Juanyeh Thomas, and defensive end Tyrus Wheat are all on exclusive rights contracts. Dallas only has to send a one-year qualifying offer for the league minimum based on each player’s experience level. This prevents the player from negotiating with other teams, ensuring their return.

Restricted rights free agents include pro bowl kick return specialist KaVontae Turpin, safety Markquese Bell, and much-maligned corner Andrew Booth Jr.  Dallas will need the first two back but could move on from Booth Jr., who hasn’t played well for them. Still, the roster is so thin that he could even return as a special teams player.

Meanwhile, the injured veteran front has two difficult decisions to make.

Demarcus Lawrence was still playing at a high level but is aging and coming off of another injury, but has already confirmed he plans to play next season. The team is already returning edge rushers Micah Parsons, Marshawn Kneeland, and Sam Williams, who will be returning from a serious injury himself.

Dallas will have a dead-money hit of nearly $7.5 million for Lawrence next season, so having him back on the roster would help justify the use of cap space, but he could get a final big payday elsewhere from a contender.

Guard Zack Martin will likely decide his own fate. If he wants to return for another season, the Cowboys are likely to bring him back. He has $27.7 million in dead money cap charges that can land across either one or two years.

Martin and Lawrence joined the franchise together and are now completing their 11th seasons with the club. With the club letting Tyron Smith go last season, it will be interesting to see what happens with the last remnants of the Tony Romo era.

Then there are these free agent signings who are a more simple concept.

Eric Kendricks signed in Dallas because of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. If Zimmer returns, so could Kendricks and Nick Virgil.

The specialists could go elsewhere if John Fassel doesn’t return as the unit coach. Punter Bryan Anger, long-snapper Trent Sieg, and gunner C.J. Goodwin could all need to be replaced this offseason.

Cooper Rush, Trey Lance, or even Will Grier as the backup to Dak Prescott likely depends on if Mike McCarthy returns as the head coach.

Coaching ties matter. When Dan Quinn left to coach the Commanders, he took with him multiple players who played for him in Dallas. The new coaches might have the players they want to bring in to teach their system to the rest of the players.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or Bluesky @mike-crum-cdpiglet.bsky.social

Bucs’ 347-pound Vita Vea swallows Cowboys’ 153-pound KaVontae Turpin with tackle

KaVontae Turpin ran smack into Vita Vea of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This was a mismatch of the largest proportions.

The Tampa Bay Bucs’ nose tackle Vita Vea goes around 347 pounds on a good day.

The Dallas Cowboys’ KaVontae Turpin weighs 153 pounds soaking wet.

Turpin ran into Vea on Sunday night and guess who won the tussle? The Bucs’ DL threw Turpin to the turf.

It could have been a WWE-style move but Vea showed some mercy.

Cowboys’ KaVontae Turpin named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

From @ToddBrock24f7: Turpin’s 360-degree spin move versus the Commanders set up an electrifying kick-return score and cemented his first win of the weekly award.

KaVaontae Turpin just picked up a shiny new piece of hardware. Maybe it will go on the shelf right next to the commercial-grade blender he put the entire Commanders kickoff-coverage team into in order to earn the award.

The Cowboys return specialist was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 12, an accolade given almost solely for the electrifying 99-yard kickoff return for touchdown he executed in the closing minutes of Dallas’s 34-26 win over Washington last Sunday.

It’s the first time he’s won the weekly award.

The play certainly didn’t start out looking like an award-winning effort from the speedster, who muffed the kick at first and had to retrieve the loose ball from the 1-yard line, turning his back to all 11 Commanders players to do so.

When Turpin turned around, he was moving at what looked to be half-speed as he reached a wall of would-be tacklers. And then he hit the purée button, pulling off a bewildering 360-degree spin move that caused a moment’s hesitation for every player wearing red.

Turpin came out of the spin in turbo mode and raced nearly untouched all the way to the end zone. The return, his first kick-return score in a regular-season NFL game, didn’t quite cement the Cowboys win, but it did lock up Turpin’s first Special Teams Player of the Week nod.

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The 28-year-old and former USFL MVP returned a punt for a touchdown in the season opener versus Cleveland. He also scored on a 64-yard reception in Week 11’s loss to Houston in which he hit 22.36 miles per hour, the fastest recorded time for a player thus far in the 2024 season.

Turpin has said he’s worried he may not get another chance at returning a kick now that opponents have seen the spin move he’d been saving for a desperate moment.

At least he made it count by turning it into an award-winner.

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Do the Commanders still have a kicker problem?

Do the Commanders still have a kicker problem?

For about seven weeks, everything went right for the Washington Commanders. During that stretch, Washington won six of seven games, had an offense and rookie quarterback that were the envy of the NFL, and even found themselves a kicker.

Since then, the Commanders have lost three consecutive games; the offense has struggled, Jayden Daniels has looked like a rookie at times, and, well, maybe they haven’t found a kicker after all.

During Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys, kicker Austin Seibert missed a field goal and two extra points. The second missed PAT was most costly as it prevented the Commanders from tying the game and sending it into overtime.

Before Sunday, Seibert had made 25 of his 27 field goals and all 22 of his PATs. It’s important to note that he missed the last two games due to a right hip injury before returning on Sunday.

After the game, a lot of unfair hate was directed at Seibert. People often forget it’s just a game. These are human beings, and all make mistakes. Seibert didn’t lose Washington this game. We could go through all four quarters and name 10 plays or players that negatively impacted the outcome.

But it is fair to ask if the Commanders still have a kicking problem. Washington’s kicking woes have only been overshadowed by its QB woes. Fans believed GM Adam Peters found a quarterback and kicker in the same season.

What should Washington do?

The Commanders should stick with Seibert unless he completely falls apart in the coming weeks, as misses happen. He’s proven reliable and consistent. It’s fair to wonder if the hip still bothered Seibert on Sunday. He, of course, denied it and took full responsibility.

Washington has been on the kicking carousel for years. Heck, the Commanders were on it for three months this year after they released veteran Brandon McManus.

The knock on Seibert was his inaccuracy over 50 yards. He did hit one over 50 yards on Sunday and missed another. However, something head coach Dan Quinn said after the game was a bit concerning.

“It’s harder to kick it out than you think,” Quinn said of Seibert potentially kicking the ball out of the back of the end zone. “And so, I thought it was really honestly from the kicking standpoint executed well. If you have to stop your feet and get one to go, that’s the challenge. If you can get it to hit the ground, that’s what you’re trying to do into that spot, but that’s the difference.”

Statistics show it’s not hard for every team — only Washington. Was Quinn saying Seibert’s leg strength is a liability on kickoffs?

Regardless, Washington had chances to bring down KaVontae Turpin on Sunday and failed. Outside of that, the Commanders have been excellent at covering kicks this season.

Sunday was a bad day for everyone in Washington, including Seibert. He deserves the opportunity to make things right next week against Tennessee.

Otherwise, the Commanders go back to the carousel, and that’s not where Quinn or Peters want to go.

This Cowboys specialist has punched his ticket to Pro Bowl in Week 12

After another explosive touchdown, Turpin has separated himself from the pack yet again. | From @KDDrummondNFL

It hasn’t been a particularly fun season for the Dallas Cowboys and their players. Starting out 3-2, the club lost several contributors over the first month of the season and that led to a cascading record that turned into 3-7. Along that five-game slide, QB Dak Prescott was lost for the year and the season went down the drain.

From an individual perspective it becomes hard for players to stand out amongst the sullenness of the organization, but Sunday’s electrifying win allowed one player in particular to emerge from the doldrums. Return specialist and (unfortunately only) part-time receiver Kavontae Turpin punched his ticket to the Pro Bowl.

VOTE FOR THE PRO BOWL HERE

In the game’s fourth quarter, Dallas extended their lead to 20-9 when Cooper Rush found Jake Ferguson wide open over the middle for a 22-yard score. Cowboys fans are used to the bottom falling out from under any positive play, and sure enough the Commanders offense woke up and they quickly marched down the field to score their own touchdown.

On the ensuing kickoff with three minutes remaining and a 20-17 advantage, Washington’s Austin Seibert kicked it off to Turpin in the field of play at the five-yard line.

Turpin muffed it; the ball squirted through his hands and legs to the goal line.

But then, magic. Turpin scooped up the ball at the one, turned back upfield and saw magic in the middle. He went into Madden spin mode at the nine-yard line and it was dust.

Turpin has long been the victim of opposing teams not kicking in his direction. After returning this punt for a touchdown opening week, it’s been a ton of frustration as kickers are choosing hang time instead of distance to make sure he doesn’t get a good opportunity to embarrass them.

Turpin’s opportunities are limited. He has only returned 31 on the season and has now scored twice, and is the only NFL returner with both a kick and punt return score this season. Turpin is actually the only player in the NFL with a kick, punt and catch touchdown each at least 60 yards, and has three plays where he’s reached speeds that rank in the top 10 across the league.

Starting to be mentioned with some of the best return men in NFL history through less than three seasons, Turpin is a lock to make this year’s Pro Bowl and it’s only Week 12.

Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves blames himself for missed tackle in loss to Cowboys

Washington’s loss was not on one player.

As badly as the Washington Commanders played on Sunday, they still had multiple chances to win late against the Dallas Cowboys. However, various mistakes added up and proved too much for the Commanders, who fell 34-26 to the Cowboys at home.

One of those chances came with around three minutes remaining when kicker Austin Seibert’s line drive kickoff hit Dallas wide receiver KaVontae Turpin’s hands around the four-yard line, which he muffed, picked up and ran back 99 yards for the touchdown to extend the Cowboys lead to 27-17 with 2:49 remaining.

This was just seconds after Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels engineered a quick touchdown drive to again make it a one-score game. With two timeouts and the two-minute warning remaining, the Commanders were in an excellent position to win an ugly game after such a terrible performance.

Turpin had other plans. But even after Turpin’s touchdown, Daniels and Terry McLaurin still had some magic left, but it didn’t matter, as the Cowboys prevailed.

As for Turpin, Washington safety — and former Pro Bowler on special teams — Jeremy Reaves blamed himself for Turpin’s score. It was Reaves who missed the initial tackle.

“I made that play 1,000 times,” a dejected Reaves said at his locker after Sunday’s game. “Thousand times, hundreds of times, it’s repetition. I didn’t make it today, and it cost us. It’s on me, man.

Reaves is right in one sense. He has made that play many times over the years, and not making it on Sunday was costly. However, Reaves is not to blame for the loss — far from it.

You win as a team, you lose a team. Reaves is one of the more selfless and beloved players in the locker room. He’s doing what leaders do: Taking accountability. That play was one of many that added up for the Commanders on Sunday, creating a perfect storm for the heavy underdog to come away with an upset win.

KaVontae Turpin returns kickoff 99 yards for Cowboys touchdown

KaVontae Turpin with a huge special teams play for the Cowboys

The Washington Commanders had closed with three points of the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter on Sunday.

It lasted all of 13 seconds.

KaVontae Turpin misplayed the kickoff, picked the football up, made a spin and was off on a 99-yard return for a touchdown.

After the play and PAT, Dallas led 27-17 and was on its way to an NFC East upset.