Blogging The Boys
Ahead of their preseason clash, the Dallas Cowboys hosted the in-state Los Angeles Rams for a joint practice. In the earlier portion of practice, the Rams seemed to get the better of the Cowboys’ defensive line, running the ball effectively behind Kyren Williams. However, Dallas got their bearings and performed better in the later stages of practice. Marist Liufau and Jack Sanborn, in particular, did a better job of filling gaps and run fits.
Also, to no surprise, with all the star receivers at practice, they all had their crowd-captivating moments. George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb, and Rams receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams made some highlight-reel plays. Yet, it’s been Dallas’ undrafted, USFL dynamo who had another great practice. Today’s undrafted star of the day is once again KaVontae Turpin.
For a stretch during the joint practice, Turpin became the team’s go-to-guy, making big plays down the field and using his speed to run away from defenders. On one play, Turpin hauled in a pass from Will Grier and left Josh Wallace reaching for air as Turpin cruised past him for the touchdown. It’s days like these against other competition where Turpin can start to elevate himself up the depth chart. Reserve receiver Jonathan Mingo has had a strong camp, and Traeshon Holden has also done some nice things. Yet, if Turpin can keep stacking good days like this, who knows if he can push for a higher spot on the pecking order.
Jalen Tolbert has been penciled in as the number three receiver, yet Turpin could command a larger role because he fits in well with so many personnel groupings. He can be the slot in 11 personnel, or the tailback in other personnel groupings. Plus, he’s the primary player on jet sweeps, and we’ve seen how impactful he is when he gets the ball in space. Turpin also has some surprisingly strong hands to make tough catches in traffic. Could Turpin command the number three job? Stay tuned.
