Tag: KaVontae Turpin

Cowboys’ John Fassel: New kickoffs will ‘feel like a real football play’; KaVontae Turpin could explode

From @ToddBrock24f7: Fassel called kickoffs “a dying play.” New rules should give a speedy return man- like the Cowboys’ KaVontae Turpin- a huge advantage.

The Cowboys felt like they found a secret weapon when they signed KaVontae Turpin away from the USFL after his MVP season of 2022. While he went on to make the Pro Bowl his first year in Dallas, it has felt like Turpin has still been kept largely under wraps, thanks to a set of rules that somewhat limited the blazing speed that had made him so dangerous.

With revised kickoff rules in place for 2024, Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel believes the league is about to see what the 27-year-old is truly capable of.

Fans got a breathtaking preview in a 2022 preseason game against the Chargers, when Turpin returned both a punt and a kickoff for scores.

Since then, Turpin hasn’t taken a kick back to the house. In fact, he’s barely gotten to try. Last season, he logged just 10 kickoff returns the whole year.

But… his per-return average was a jaw-dropping 29.2 yards, the highest of any player with double-digit returns.

That could become the norm rather than the exception, now that kick returns are set to make a return of their own.

“It was a dying play,” Fassel said Thursday on Good Morning Football. “And it feels like it’s back, and it’s back in a big way. I must say, I’m proud of the NFL for being bold, because this is a big change.”

Touchbacks last season were up a whopping 373% over what they had been just 14 years prior, and in the name of payer safety, kickoffs themselves had become a ceremonial formality.

Fassel was instrumental in developing the new rules, which were approved by owners last week at the annual league meeting.

“We were losing the play,” he lamented, “and there’s a lot of history behind the kickoff and kickoff return.”

Just not much recent history.

There were just four kickoff-return touchdowns leaguewide in all of 2023. The last one for Dallas came on Thanksgiving Day 2021, when Tony Pollard brought one back 100 yards versus the Raiders. Prior to that, if you take out CeeDee Lamb’s half-field scoring dash after scooping up an onside kick attempt against the 49ers in 2020, the Cowboys’ last kick return for a TD had come from Felix Jones.

In 2008.

Now, kickers will essentially be incentivized to keep the ball in play rather than blast it through the end zone. Tacklers and blockers will start closer to one another but be forced to remain stationary until the returner has the ball.

Gone are the high-speed collisions and injuries that often result from ten cover men sprinting full-steam and face-first into a wall of charging blockers. And with no one getting a head start on the play, a speedster like Turpin should suddenly have the advantage. (The Steelers, not coincidentally, signed veteran return ace Cordarrelle Patterson just hours after the new rule was approved.)

The NFL’s new-look kickoffs will be on trial in 2024 but could remain permanent past that. And the rule could trickle down to all levels of the sport.

“If this thing gets adopted by college football, high school football, the lower levels, I think we’ve done a great thing for the game of football,” Fassel said. “We’ve made it better, we’ve made it safer, and I just can’t wait to see where it goes. I think everybody’s really going to love it. It’s a unique look at the start, but once that ball gets caught, man, it’s game on and it’s going to feel like a real football play.”

And if all the stars align, the secret weapon the Cowboys have kept stashed for two years could be that real play’s next real poster child.

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KaVontae Turpin is low-key a high-impact weapon Cowboys must utilize

KaVontae Turpin quietly leads the Cowboys in EPA/target so isn’t it time he takes on a bigger role in the Dallas offense? | From @ReidDHanson

When opponents prepare for the Cowboys, which players does one imagine they focus on? CeeDee Lamb has 90 receptions for 1,182 yards and seven touchdowns. It’s a pretty safe bet teams are preparing for him. Over the last six weeks alone, Jake Ferguson has 25 receptions for 308 yards and four touchdowns. Teams have definitely seen the film on Ferguson. Over the last four weeks, Brandin Cooks has 20 receptions for 332 yards and three touchdowns. Cooks has the deep speed and route-running ability that puts every secondary on notice.

Add in Tony Pollard’s game-breaking ability and Rico Dowdle’s rise as the newest explosive runner in Dallas, and you have a lot of weapons for opponents to worry about on this Cowboys offense. But there’s one player who in some ways stands out above the others. A player who only has 16 targets to his name in 2023 but has made the absolute most of those opportunities. A player who by all accounts is due a bigger role down the stretch,  KaVontae Turpin.

Teams are well aware of Turpin’s impact on football field. The former TCU product earned Pro Bowl honors as a rookie based on his return ability, and here in 2023 he’s widely regarded one of the most feared returners in the game. But on offense he’s played only a bit part.

As WR5, Turpin hasn’t had many offensive opportunities in 2023. With just 19 total touches, he’s been more complementary and gadget than legit offensive staple. Perhaps that’s a mistake. Turpin leads the Cowboys with 0.84 EPA/target this season. He’s making the most of his opportunities and it’s not hard to see how.

Blessed with elite speed and stop-start cutting ability that would make a water bug jealous, Turpin has the level of game-breaking skill to be a threat every time he’s on the field. His impact goes beyond just being a pass-catcher as well. Turpin has frequently been used in motion and as a runner. With eight carries for 79 yards, he’s averaging 9.9 yards/carry and a success rate of 62.5 percent. These two numbers indicate he’s not just getting the chunk yardage, but he’s also winning more opportunities than both Pollard (48.3% success rate) and Dowdle (46.0% SR).

There’s obvious concern Turpin’s 5-foot-9, 153-pound frame isn’t up to the task of a regular role on offense. So even though his efficiency stats show he should be getting WR3 opportunities, the added opportunities could dramatically impact the very efficiency he’s praised for. But a larger role than what he’s had should certainly be a consideration.

Both Gallup and Jalen Tolbert have been somewhat disappointing this season. They’ve peppered in good plays here and there but for the most part have failed to live up to their preseason expectations. Adding Turpin to the mix and dividing the snaps equally amongst all three would get the Cowboys’ most efficient and deadly weapon on the field more without saddling him with a burdensome workload.

Low key, Turpin has been the Cowboys most efficient offensive weapon. He needs to be part of the weekly gameplan and has the ability to take the Dallas offense to the next level. Opponents have enough to worry about when facing this offense. The Cowboys should give them one more.

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Cowboys-Giants inactives: Turpin out, return of Deuce Vaughn

The Dallas Cowboys are without wide receiver Kavontae Turpin vs. the Giants while New York is missing multiple starters.

The Dallas Cowboys come in as massive favorites over the New York Giants, and the advantage grows in AT&T Stadium has nearly their whole arsenal active for a chance to sweep.

Dallas dominated the first matchup in MetLife Stadium with 40-point shutout to open the season. Now, New York is without their starting quarterback and will miss two key starters against the Cowboys in Week 10.

Right tackle Evan Neal is inactive, as well as cornerback Adoree’ Jackson for the already shorthanded Giants. On the flipside, Dallas’ main absence is wide receiver KaVontae Turpin, who is dealing with a shoulder injury.

A pair of rookies are in the lineup for the Cowboys with running back Deuce Vaughn and wide receiver Jalen Brooks active. Vaughn has been on the bench for several weeks after being rather ineffective as a ball carrier. Take a look at the inactives ahead of Cowboys-Giants, kicking off at 3:25 p.m., televised on FOX.

Cowboys rookie Deuce Vaughn returning punts at practice with Turpin nursing shoulder

From @ToddBrock24f7: KaVontae Turpin’s shoulder forced Vaughn into punt-return duties at practice Thursday; the rookie may be in line to do it vs the Giants.

KaVontae Turpin did not practice for a second straight day as he rehabs a shoulder injury suffered last week in Philadelphia. And while Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy didn’t seem overly concerned with his availability moving forward, Turpin’s status heading into Week 10 is suddenly something to watch.

Thursday’s practice workload revealed that a Turpin absence on Sunday might just crack the door open for a highly-anticipated rookie to get some much-needed game reps, albeit in a role he’s largely unfamiliar with.

Turpin sat out Wednesday and was considered questionable again on Thursday, McCarthy told reporters. The coach said he would be either working with the rehab group or, at best, limited, but media members present for practice later reported him as a non-participant for the open portion of the session.

If Turpin cannot go this Sunday, the Cowboys will obviously have to decide who fills in for him as he continues to grow into an increasing role in the Dallas offense.

The bigger worry, though, if Turpin’s shoulder doesn’t cooperate, is re-assigning his return duties. He’s averaging 31.7 yards per kick return, placing him within the league’s top ten. As a punt returner, he’s had just 10 runbacks; his 11 fair catches are top-ten in the league and an indicator of how often opponents are only giving him balls that cannot be returned.

But Turpin is the only player on the Cowboys roster who has done both return jobs this season. Rico Dowdle and Hunter Luepke have handled five kicks between them in 2023, while Jalen Tolbert and Deuce Vaughn have fielded one punt each.

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Reporters at Thursday’s practice session observed Dowdle, Vaughn, and safety Juanyeh Thomas practicing kick returns while Vaughn was taking reps as a punt returner, with Turpin giving him close coaching.

The sixth-round draft pick has been inactive the past three games and was largely ineffective on the handful of snaps he played over the first five weeks.

Vaughn’s 10-yard punt return against San Francisco in Week 5 was his first at either the pro or college level.

But the 5-foot-5 rookie running back showed blistering speed and shiftiness throughout training camp, just as he had done collegiately at Kansas State. Depending on Turpin’s shoulder, Vaughn may finally get the chance to put those skills on display at the pro level in a brand new way.

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3 Major takeaways from Cowboys loss include swapping Gallup for Turpin

The Cowboys leave Philadelphia with plenty to clean up but with enough positives to see a path to excellence. | From @cdpiglet

The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles played another NFC East classic on Sunday, with the Cowboys unfortunately ending up on the short end of the Lincoln Financial Field scoreboard. The game was back and forth, with Philadelphia getting the early lead and Dallas going ahead by halftime. The Eagles had a dominant third quarter, and Dallas made a run in the fourth that wasn’t quite enough to pull out the victory.

The Cowboys and Eagles will each leave the game feeling good about how they played overall. Both quarterbacks performed great, there weren’t many big mistakes, AJ Brown and CeeDee Lamb both showed up, and the defenses played well enough to win. Philadelphia simply made more plays and escaped with a win.

On paper, the schedule looks great for the Cowboys in the next few weeks compared to Philadelphia. They need to go over some of the major takeaways from this game and get over the final hump in the biggest matchups in the future.

Cowboys take lead with another Prescott touchdown toss

The Cowboys took the lead after another strong drive by Dak Prescott.

The passing offense has found their rhythm. After Dak Prescott led the club to a touchdown drive on their second possession, a three-and-out for the defense put the offense right back on the field. Prescott again was surgical, avoiding pressure with his legs and using his arm to find his targets.

After an escape and conversion to CeeDee Lamb to move the chains, the first touchdown scorer Jake Ferguson was in line for his second. Only a defensive pass interference kept that from happening, and Dallas took advantage of their goal-to-go situation.

Prescott found Kavontae Turpin crossing the end zone for his second touhdown of the season and gave Dallas a 14-7 lead.

Cowboys’ Turpin doesn’t expect Eagles to punt to him: ‘Teams are still scared of me’

From @ToddBrock24f7: The speedy returner had an 87-yard TD called back by penalty last week; Eagles punter Braden Mann has allowed just three returns in 6 games.

On the 39th punt return of his pro career, KaVontae Turpin thought he had finally broken one off.

The Cowboys speedster had first shown off his formidable skills in 2022’s preseason with two returns (one punt, one kickoff) for scores in an August outing against the Chargers. In that one exhibition performance, the USFL phenom solidified his spot on the Cowboys roster, but he also effectively alerted every other team in the league that kicking the ball to him at all is playing with fire.

And so after a season and a half of returning punts, the presumptive most dangerous return man in the game has just a 9.4-yard average… and zero touchdowns.

Thanks only to a penalty flag late in Sunday’s blowout win over the Rams.

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Turpin’s electrifying end-zone dash was brought back on Nahshon Wright’s hold. The 87-yard house call instead went in the books as a harmless six-yard return.

And Turpin believes it may have just reminded upcoming Cowboys opponents- like the division-leading Eagles in Week 9- not to even crack the door open for him.

“Teams are still scared of me, so I don’t think I’ll get any more chances, to be real with you,” Turpin told reporters this week at The Star.

He may be right, at least this week.

A quick look at the Eagles’ season stats show a potential weakness in their punt coverage game. They’ve given up 14.7 punt return yards per game, fourth-highest in the NFL.

Arryn Siposs was Philadelphia’s punter for the first two weeks of the season. Five of his punts were returned for 40 total yards. But then Philadelphia made a quick change and brought in Braden Mann starting in Week 3. In the six games that followed, Mann has punted 10 times; only three were returned.

But those three returns all went for double-digit yards.

Granted, the Eagles famously don’t let Mann stray too far or too often from the sideline Gatorade table, what with all of their tush-pushing on fourth-and-short (or simply not getting themselves to fourth down in the first place).

When he does come on to boot it away, Mann tends to keep it away. But when there’s a return, there’s the potential for fireworks. If Turpin can get his hands on a punt with enough space to get even a couple steps, he could be racing all the way to the Rocky steps at some point Sunday.

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As long as the other 10 Cowboys special teamers can keep Lincoln Financial’s field a laundry-free zone.

“It’s frustrating because I don’t get too many chances in the return game,” Turpin admitted. “So when I do get a chance, I don’t want to see any flags, especially when I take it all the way.

“At the same time, I tell my guys to go out there and block as hard as they can. But that just comes with football. We’re going to get another chance sooner or later.”

The Cowboys are hoping for sooner.

We’ll see if Mann and the Eagles play ball.

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LOOK: DaRon Bland Pick-6 starts Cowboys’ defense, special teams ballistic run

A series of defensive and special teams plays put the game out of reach early for the Cowboys. | From @KDDrummondNFL

After the Cowboys’ opening touchdown, Dallas traded field goals with the Los Angeles Rams to keep their early lead at seven, 10-3. Then, Dan Quinn and John Fassel’s units decided they wanted to make an impression on the game.

In the blink of an eye, Dallas extended the lead to a whopping 23 points and the offense had very little to do with it.

 

Cowboys-Chargers Injury Update: Vander Esch, Goodwin out, Bosa questionable and Ekeler ready

Things have calmed down a bit on Dallas’ side but an interesting IR note brings up some questions for the near future. Meanwhile the Bolts have their own concerns. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The final injury reports for the Week 6 matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers have been released. After having a whopping 17 players included on the initial report, things are looking a lot more positive for the Cowboys. Dallas will be without three key players, but only one has been moved to injured reserve, which opens up some questions for the status of the other two.

Earlier in the week, Dallas moved TE Peyton Hendershot to IR with his ankle injury suffered in practice before the loss to the 49ers. However two players who sustained serious injuries in that loss, LB Leighton Vander Esch and ST CJ Goodwin, have been ruled out but remain on the 53-man roster. The takeaway here is that the club may be hopeful they can return in less than the four weeks mandatory absence dictated by going on injured reserve.

An alternative view is Dallas just simply doesn’t need the roster space and both players are going to be out so long that waiting to put them on IR is irrelevant.

Dallas also has given injury designations to two other players, but the remainder of the players on the list are cleared and ready to go. Meanwhile the Chargers are set to welcome back RB Austin Ekeler who has been out since Week 1. Their top defender is questionable though, as edge rusher Joey Bosa returned to practice on a limited basis on Saturday.

Los Angeles hasn’t ruled out anyone but have two players who are doubtful and three more (including Bosa) who are questionable. Here’s a look at the full list.

Cowboys-Chargers Injury Report Update: Bosa sits again, illness hits Dallas as Turpin returns

A bug looks like it’s starting to work through Dallas’ locker room while the two teams had a combined nine players miss Friday’s practice. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Things improved on the injury front for the Dallas Cowboys on Friday, but only just a bit. Following Sunday’s game, Dallas not only was licking their emotional wounds, but they suffered a string of injuries in the defeat that threatens to derail their competitiveness in Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Thursday, the first day of practice thanks to the adjusted schedule, saw them put 17 players on the injury report.

That list was trimmed to 15 on Friday, but it included a new name as well as a change from a rest absence to a full one. Sickness appears to be making it’s way through the locker room as Dallas had two linemen miss Friday’s work due to illness. Chuma Edoga, Dallas’ backup left-side offensive lineman, and starting NT Johnathan Hankins were both out.

Meanwhile, a handful of players who were out or limited on Thursday were full participants. Most notable was WR Kavontae Turpin. It was originally feared he suffered a high-ankle sprain, the lone TD scorer from Week 5 was a full participant, as were RB Tony Pollard and DT Neville Gallimore, who were limited initially.

On the opposite sideline, the Chargers’ top defender Joey Bosa is still sitting out practice with a toe injury. Here’s a look at the full rundown of Friday’s report.