OXNARD, Calif. — It's been a crazy week for 2022 Pro Bowl returner KaVontae Turpin, as the speedy and electric wide receiver used his speed in a different department earlier this week when he learned that he was about to have his second daughter back home in Texas.
Turpin flew home almost immediately upon arriving in Oxnard and arrived just in time to see his baby girl, Kaori, get brought into the world.
"It's amazing to come out here and bring my daughter in," Turpin said. "It's one of the best times of my life, basically."
The new parent of two is riding the high of fatherhood coming into training camp, and he carried that energy into Saturday's practice where he was able to flash his speed and separation on multiple occasions with the first-team offense.
"Right now, it's just a wonderful feeling," he said. "I brought my baby girl a couple of days ago, it helped me become a new man. Come out here, and now I'm just happy to be back out here with my team. Come out here and learn with these guys, with this team. I'm just in a wonderful spot right now."
Turpin feels re-energized coming into his second training camp with the Dallas Cowboys as he was able to experience his first full offseason in two years after playing in the USFL last spring and immediately jumping into the 2022 NFL season.
As a result, he sees an opportunity to make an impact offensively in 2023.
"Last year, coming from the USFL and not being able to do OTAs and the mini-camp," Turpin said. "I feel like this year, being able to do those things, I'm ahead of where I need to be at coming from the offensive end. Come in, learn the plays. I feel like I'm in a wonderful spot right now just coming in and being able to do those two things during the offseason."
During Saturday's practice, Turpin created separation on downfield and intermediate routes, but he drew the biggest praise from the crowd on a jet sweep opportunity that allowed him to show off his lightning-quick feet on the edge.
"[I wanted to] show them that I don't have to meet with any of my coaches," he said. "I can just come out and get straight to it. I had to just show them that I'm here and I'm dedicated to it. That's all I had to show them, and that's what I came out here and showed them. I feel like I did."
Despite accomplishing a big feat in 2022 by notching a Pro Bowl nod, Turpin feels that there is a lot left on the table for what he can do in his second season.
With a centered mindset created by the addition to his growing family, he enters back into the fold in Oxnard ready to attack his opportunity in 2023.
"I just feel like this year I want to do everything," he said. "All-Pro, anything I can do since I got my rest during this offseason and coming in here with fresh legs. I feel like right now, I'm at 100-percent of where I need to be. [My daughters] are what I'm here for, live for them, come out here and show that's what I'm here for."
