FRISCO, Texas — KaVontae Turpin is in a very good space right now, a stable one he's been working for years to get his hands on, and it's finally arrived. The bottle of lightning turned Dallas Cowboys' kick returner turned two-time Pro Bowler turned First-Team All-Pro inked a three-year contract extension this offseason — a no-brainer for the organization.
The former USFL MVP enters his fourth season with the Cowboys in 2025, and there have been sweeping changes to the offensive coaching staff this time around, including the blockbuster trade to acquire wide receiver George Pickens, generating questions regarding how head coach Brian Schottenheimer will deploy Turpin on offense.
"He wants to do shifts and motions, to get the ball in playmakers' hands in space, and to get one-one-ones," Turpin said at the start of mandatory minicamp. "I feel like that's good for me. One-on-one with a linebacker or a safety, I'm gonna take advantage of them."
While Turpin has taken the NFL by storm as a returner, his reps on offense haven't been plentiful, but he isn't harping on that, and believes it'll all balance out as it needs to.
"I'll say to just be available," Turpin said. "I gotta be trustworthy so they know when they call my number, I'll go out there and make a play. Kickoff returns and punt returns, I'll be me and try to make a Pro Bowl again.
"But, on offense, I'll let them believe in me and trust in me to go out there and be the playmaker I can be."
It bears mentioning here that Turpin is coming off of a career year offensively, grabbing 420 receiving yards and two touchdowns while adding another 92 rushing yards to the mix, also averaging nearly 14 yards per reception in the process. He's proven to be more than a simple gadget guy, but instead one who can also stretch the field a time or two.
There's also the likelihood that Turpin becomes even more dynamic on special teams, by the way, considering the latest change to the kickoff rule that moves the touchback to the 35-yard line as opposed to the 30-yard line, where it was set in 2024.
"With the rule change, they've gotta kick it in the landing spot now, so there won't be too many touchbacks. But, hopefully, they won't touchback me. I'm trying to get as many touches as I can, but I feel a lot of guys are gonna be scared with the new rule change. I'm just gonna roll with the punches."
And as for the addition of Pickens?
"That's my guy," said Turpin. "He's been here about a month, and we're locked in. Me and him got cool — I think it's just a South thing. He's from Birmingham, Alabama and I'm from Louisiana.
"We clicked as soon as we talked. I'll say that's my guy and he's doing good right now."
It speaks to the culture being constructed by Schottenheimer as well as the willingness of not only Pickens, but of everyone involved, to fully lean into it going into an all-important inaugural season for the Cowboys' head coach.
"Everybody's buying in," Turpin explained. "Everybody's loving what Schottenheimer is doing. I just feel like we're gonna take the pressure and roll with it, and deal with it. Everybody's excited and everybody wants to be here."
