Blogging The Boys
How much do you believe the Cowboys will use KaVontae Turpin on offense?
Yesterday was an eventful day at Cowboys training camp. The Cowboys’ offense finally made some deep connections, a long-awaited aspect that the team expects to improve with the addition of George Pickens. Also, the team and fans feared the worst when Tyler Guyton gingerly walked off the practice field. Thankfully, Guyton did not sustain a torn ACL. However, will miss 4-6 weeks with a bone fracture in his knee. No injury news is ever good, but it affords the Cowboys time to tinker with solutions before the regular season, such as the case with today’s undrafted star of the day.
KaVontae Turpin had an excellent day of practice Monday, and it comes at a great time. Turpin has had somewhat of a tumultuous offseason following his arrest earlier this month and looks to put the incident behind him. At Monday’s practice, he was crisp, focused, and for a bit was Dak Prescott’s and the offense’s go-to guy:
Prescott finished the day going 15-of-21. He was repeatedly harassed by the Cowboys’ pass rush but was still able to make some plays. In one six-play stretch, he connected with WR KaVontae Turpin three times.
Turpin also got a few touches in space on screens and from the backfield on Monday. You love to see it. The Cowboys awarded the All-Pro returner with a new three-year, $18M contract, and you’d expect the Cowboys would want to see Turpin in a more expanded role.
Turpin still has a long way to go to develop as a consistent NFL wide receiver, but the traits are there. He’s got exceptional speed, is a nightmare to tackle in space, and does occasionally make difficult contested catches despite his small stature. Plus, the Cowboys could utilize him at tailback when needed. It’s a callback to what Dallas was hoping to do with Tavon Austin when he joined the team. Furthermore, Turpin is an indispensable piece because no one on the roster can replicate what he does in terms of pure speed and as a returner. It was a terrific day for Turpin and hopefully a sign of more things to come.
