It is the middle of May and things are very quiet right now before the offseason programs start to pick up when we hit the summer months.
So as I do every Monday when I get to work, I look down the Dallas Cowboys depth chart and start thinking about players and different things to think about, and notice it has been awhile since we talked about KaVontae Turpin.
Well, Turpin signed a three-year deal worth up to nearly $18 million a year ago if you remember.
The reason he earned that contract was his great year in 2024, and that season he was actually a part of the offense, outside of being the only player in the NFL with both a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown in 2024.
@BobbyBeltTX, @1053SS and @rjchoppy debate the return specialist’s worth⤵️
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Now remember these are my thoughts. You don’t have to agree and call me an idiot if you don’t think the same as me. That is the point of a post like this.
Turpin’s contract runs through 2027, and let’s be honest, they paid him based on the year he had in 2024, and honestly, I think with a second year of George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb together and Brian Schottneheimers offense, they need to get Turpin more involved in the offense to earn all $18 million dollars of that contract.
If we take a look at the numbers, he did not help Dallas much last season in the place he has the most value; kick and punt returning.
Through December 2025, on kick returns, the league average is 26.41 yards per return. Turpin is averaging 26.2, which is essentially league average.
Punt returns are where the issue becomes more obvious. The league average is 7.1 yards per punt return, and Turpin is at 5.5.
Read that again, 5.5, that cannot happen again in 2026, making that much money, and if it does, he needs to get more involved in the Cowboys’ offense while Lamb and Pickens take most of the coverage, allowing this man to use his speed and get him the football in space.
And before you jump in the comments and say he isn’t a true wide receiver, etc. I understand what he is and isn’t, but if he is going to produce WELL under league average return yardage, he has to be more involved so they aren’t wasting 18 million dollars, it is simple.
The last two seasons as a WR, Turpin has 57 receptions, 816 yards and four touchdowns. He had 420 yards back in 2024, and to be completely honest with you, there is no reason why he can’t top 500 receiving yards.
I don’t need him to score touchdowns unless he breaks free, but he is a guy that has enough speed to get a packet for. Take a look at the video below. That is probably one of my favorite routes from him.
Create more things like this for him in 2026, get him in motion, split him out, with all the attention that Lamb, Pickens and even Jake Ferguson create, he should get some favorable looks, and it just felt like last season he had way too many issues.
As you can see from the first video, people are talking about trading him, but he doesn’t have any value after his awful year returning in 2025.
He just needs to use this season to earn the rest of his contract heading into 2027, and then we can see where he sits, but Turpin can be a huge weapon in a high-powered offense this year, and would like to see more out of him in the passing game this season.
I think he could be a great threat every single time he is on the field, they just don’t use him enough.
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