'Use Me On Offense!' Cowboys' KaVontae Turpin Asks Coaches for 'Scary' Role
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Today, it's special teams. Tomorrow, the world ... of offense?
That's certainly what KaVontae Turpin has in mind for his NFL future, the Dallas Cowboys' 2022 breakout confirmed during a recent appearance on the "1st and 10" Cowboys podcast on Blogging the Boys. While Turpin earned Pro Bowl honors as one of the NFL's most prolific returners this season, he expressed a desire to fulfill the duties of his listed position of receiver.
"(The coaching staff) already knows what I did with the special teams this year and all that, but they are going to try and get me on the offense and try to make guys respect me more on both sides of the ball," Turpin said. “I’m going into this training camp, I’m basically trying to show them that they have no choice but to use me on offense, that’s my mindset.”
Turpin had a busy 2022, first emerging as one of the stars of the rebooted United States Football League before his Dallas excursion. Representing the New Jersey Generals, Turpin was at or near the top of the USFL leaderboards in nearly all major categories (44 receptions, 540 yards, four touchdowns). For his efforts in the Generals' 9-1 campaign, Turpin was bestowed the spring league's MVP award.
That offensive success did not translate to Dallas: while he made an NFL name for himself as a returner (averaging 24.2 and 10.4 on kicks and punts respectively), he partook in only 62 offensive snaps, earning 26 yards on four further touches despite the potential for opportunities widening after the unit was besieged by several injuries.
Turpin believes that he can pair well with the Cowboys' current offensive set-up and expressed interest in collaborating with undisputed top option CeeDee Lamb.
“I’m a playmaker with the ball in my hand and I can scare guys without the ball," Turpin said. "(Being) on the same field together me and CeeDee Lamb, I just feel like that’s my biggest thing going on, just showing them that they got to have me on the field."
North Texas fans are well-versed with what Turpin can provide on offense: in four years at TCU, Turpin pulled in 1,748 yards on 145 receptions before he was dismissed from the team in 2018. That tally notably included a four-touchdown game in an October 2015 win over Texas, setting a Big 12 freshman record.
Can that translate to something more than being a special-teamer in the NFL? Turpin is asking - loudly - for that chance.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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