Mike McCarthy says he wants to see 'second-year jump' from KaVontae Turpin

Former XFL star return man KaVontae Turpin is back with the Dallas Cowboys this season and as he enters his second season, his coaches are hoping to see even more from him in 2023.

Asked whether Turpin could carve out a role on the offense, on top of his special teams duties, head coach Mike McCarthy said that’s exactly what Dallas is looking for.

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 at Thursday’s OTA practice. “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.”

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.

Turpin: ‘I’m not fair catching nothing’

Special teams were where Turpin starred for Dallas last season, serving as a kickoff returner. He lived up to the billing, even earning a trip to the Pro Bowl.

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

But now, the NFL is trying its best to limit returns. All fair catches will now be brought to the 25-yard line, encouraging teams to take the extra yards and catch the ball instead of risking injuries.

Turpin told reporters that he is not a fan of the rule and does not plan on calling fair catch during the 2023 season.

“I don’t care because I’m not fair catching nothing,” Turpin said via Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com. “I’m being real with you — nothing.”

The 5-foot-9, 153-pound returner is just one of many sounding off on the NFL’s rule change. Kansas City head coach Andy Reid warned of a slippery slope.

“I don’t know,” Reid told reporters about his thoughts on the change, via ArrowheadPride.com. “We’ll have to go through all that. My thing is, ‘Where does it stop?’ Right?

“So you start taking pieces [away] — and we’ll see how this goes — but you don’t want to take too many pieces away. You’ll be playing flag football.”