Cowboys special teams coordinator updates competition at kick returner

A fumble in the Dallas Cowboys’ first preseason game of the year left a sour taste in Pro Bowler KaVontae Turpin‘s mouth. However, special teams coordinator John Fassel gave the former TCU star a boost this week, calling him the incumbent for the kick return game and saying he believes he’s in for an even bigger season than last year.

“I think Turp is the incumbent, for sure,” Fassel said this week, via DallasCowboys.com. “We have a Pro Bowl returner in Turp. I think he’s become a much better punt catcher, even though I think he was very good at it before. He’s special, I envision him being even more special this year than he was last year.”

Last season, Turpin recorded 508 kick return yards and another 303 on punts during the regular season slate. In the Cowboys’ two playoff games, he totaled 155 yards on kickoffs.

While Turpin has locked down the job full-time, Fassel believes it’s smart to have backup options, like Deuce Vaughn, among others.

“I see him as the guy who’s returning kickoffs and punts, and as Deuce continues to get some work, he’ll be right there too to give us an extra guy,” he said. “Going into the season, you always want at least two guys that can do it. I think we actually have more than two.”

Turpin to increase role in 2023

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy wants to see Turpin expand his role on the team beyond his kick-returning abilities.

Last season, he had very little time to prepare to contribute on offense, but this year, he gets the full offseason to get familiar with the playbook.

“It’s two-fold,” McCarthy said early this offseason. “The timing of when (Turpin) came to us, what he was able to accomplish on special teams speaks for itself.

“He needs to take a second-year jump offensively. He’s a piece you want to move around. We don’t want to be in a position where he has to line up at just one spot.”

McCarthy had a stern response to Turpin’s fumble in the loss versus Jacksonville last week.

“The goal was got him to really fair-catch it and so forth,” McCarthy said. “I think his competitive juices took over and the result was definitely not what we were looking for.”

The Cowboys already love him for his speed, but now they want to tap into his receiving ability.

In four seasons at TCU, Turpin accumulated 1,748 receiving yards, with eight touchdowns in his first year. During the few games he entered on offense for Dallas in 2022, he posted two grabs for 16 yards.