FRISCO, Texas 鈥 Most kickoff returns that start with a muff, have the ball bounce to the one yard line and see the returner jog around after gaining possession don't end well for anybody.
Thankfully for the Cowboys, KaVontae Turpin isn't just anybody. And he's got a nasty spin move too.
His latest "wow" play came late in the fourth quarter against the Commanders on Sunday, where he showcased his calm, nonchalant demeanor ahead of the biggest play of his career to this point, his first career kickoff return touchdown from 99 yards out with 2:49 left on the clock.
"When I picked it up, I still had like 20 yards in front of me," Turpin said. I was like 'Man, I can make something out of that at this point.' I was just calm, just being me鈥 trying to make a play."
And boy did he make something out of it. Turpin took a light jog out to the ten-yard line to gauge the situation, and then hit a Madden-esque spin-move that he's used at TCU and the USFL, but only resorts to it when he's in trouble in the NFL. Seeing the play line up allows Turpin to tap identify the gap in the defense and take off.
"That's my little superpower," Turpin said of his patience. "Because when I get the ball all the guys are already fighting, so by the time I do my jog and by the time I get free, they're already running at full speed, once I hit the hole, there's nothing they can do at that point."
Turpin exploded onto the scene in his 2022 preseason NFL debut, scoring on an 86-yard punt return and a 98-yard kickoff return to earn himself a spot on the Cowboys roster. Fast forward to his third NFL season with an All-Pro designation and a Pro-Bowl under his belt, and he's making more of an impact not just on special teams, but as a receiver too.
In back-to-back weeks, Turpin has scored a 64-yard receiving touchdown and now the 99-yard kickoff return, as Dallas is making a point to use his speed to their advantage. His 22.36 miles per hour top speed on the receiving touchdown is the fastest ball carrier speed in the NFL this season.
"Just confidence, just knowing that I can play in this league鈥" Turpin said about settling into a larger role. "This year, I'm just way more calm, way more poised, and I'm just being myself."
Turpin is the second player in franchise history to record a rushing, receiving, punt return and kickoff return touchdown in a career alongside Kevin Williams. He's also one of five players since the NFL merger to have a punt return touchdown, kick return touchdown, and 60+ yard receiving touchdown in the same year, and the first since Hall of Famer Devin Hester did it for the Chicago Bears in 2007. His world-class speed has a lot to do with that, and it's the aspect of his game he's most confident about.
"I've always been the fastest person on this planet, that's how I feel," Turpin said. "I've been feeling like I'm the fastest player in the NFL."
Statistically, he's right. He doesn't just have the top ball carrier speed in the league this season, but three of the top 20 registered speeds this year too.
Turpin got free on a slant route for his career-long 64-yard touchdown against the Texans, and that may be the start to the Cowboys getting him more involved as a weapon in the receiving game too.
"Big ways," Turpin said when asked about which ways he's grown as a receiver. "Learning the speed, going in there and now I can play free, and I can just be me once I learn the playbook."
The ball that Turpin took with him to the endzone for his first career NFL kickoff return touchdown is now heading back to his family's house in the "boom-boom room," which he described as a little club in the backyard where his family gets together to watch games and spend time together. And the way he's playing, that ball may not spend a lot of time alone in the "boom-boom room."
