{"id":205503,"date":"2024-12-20T12:30:15","date_gmt":"2024-12-20T17:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=205503"},"modified":"2024-12-19T21:17:57","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T02:17:57","slug":"kavontae-turpin-cowboys-offense-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/12\/20\/kavontae-turpin-cowboys-offense-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Cowboys Offense Finally Utilizing This Undrafted Wide Receiver"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Cowboys<\/a> offense had a bumpy start. Just last season in 2023, they were averaging 29.9 points per game, at the top of the league. This season, they\u2019re a full touchdown and some change from that number. The Cowboys in 2024 are now averaging 21.3 points per game<\/a>, finding themselves 19th in the league. Part of that can be attributed to injuries<\/a>. The other part is just failing to use splash players like KaVontae Turpin well.<\/span><\/p>\n

KaVontae Turpin Finally Getting Some Utilization in the Cowboys Offense<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Turpin More of a Special Teams Guy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Over the last few years, Turpin has been seen as just a special teams guy. It makes sense. Most of his biggest moments happen in those special teams plays. Even when he muffed the kick return in the Washington Commanders game<\/a>, he managed to run it back for a touchdown. Not every player has the capacity to make a tough moment into a game-winning play. Turpin has that rare quality.<\/span><\/p>\n

He\u2019s a consistent guy. Turpin dropping that ball in the Commanders game came as a surprise because he\u2019s usually very precise in all that he does as a returner. Part of Turpin\u2019s success also comes from punt returns too. If he\u2019s given opportunities, he uses his small frame to get the best of his opponents.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a <\/span>locker room interview on December 18, 2024<\/span><\/a>, Turpin commented about his size, saying, \u201cI tell everybody, I\u2019m small, but I\u2019m not small. You can\u2019t tackle me with one arm. I\u2019m a big guy, I\u2019m just in a small frame. \u201c He goes on to say that he\u2019s always finding ways to make big guys miss. They think they\u2019ve got him when really they don\u2019t. Now if only the Cowboys would help him use that talent on offense.<\/span><\/p>\n

KaVontae Turpin and Cowboys Offense<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Actually, the Cowboys have<\/em> found ways to get Turpin involved in the fold. At the beginning of the season though, Turpin struggled to connect with Dak Prescott. He had missed plays where the ball clearly was in his hands but he couldn\u2019t come down with it. Now, we\u2019ve seen a new player emerge. When CeeDee Lamb struggled in the game against the Giants<\/a>, it was Turpin who stepped up to actually come away with the most receiving yards on the night.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turpin has also been huge on sweep plays, giving the offense more range and alleviating the burden on Rico Dowdle to carry all of the rushing yards<\/a>. However, the Cowboys offense still isn\u2019t using Turpin as strategically as they could. He needs to get out in the middle of the field where there\u2019s space and take off. That\u2019s exactly what happened in one of his only receiving touchdowns this season. He was open in the middle of the field, and too fast for anyone on defense to catch. Although Brandin Cooks is seen as the WR2<\/a>, it’s Turpin with more potential and a higher ceiling. He just has to be used in a way that highlights those skills.<\/span><\/p>\n

Planning a More Dynamic Cowboys Offense<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As this season comes to a close, the goal should be to see where Turpin\u2019s skills can be emphasized. Looking for it this season, and then planning for it in the off-season could lead to a better 2025 for Turpin. The coaches have to see Turpin as more than just a kick returner. They must see him as a difference-maker no matter where they place him on the field. With the right amount of coaching, reps, and confidence, he\u2019ll become just that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo: [Jim Dedmon] – USA Today Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After barely seeing him on the Cowboys offense, KaVontae Turpin has been making big plays outside of Special Teams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5238,"featured_media":205638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,19],"tags":[7422,31991,2156,2679],"class_list":["post-205503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-cowboys","tag-dallas-cowboys-news","tag-kavontae-turpin","tag-offense","tag-wide-receivers"],"modified_by":"Michael Zimmelman","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5238"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205503"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":205639,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205503\/revisions\/205639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}