Dallas, TX
KaVontae Turpin's competitiveness, versatility propel him to second Pro Bowl nod
FRISCO, Texas – Versatility is KaVontae Turpin’s honorary middle name, as the Cowboys have used him as a receiver, running back and returner in his three years in Dallas. On Thursday, he was named to his second Pro Bowl team as a return specialist, a testament to how much he’s shown in the NFL at such a short time.
“I’m grateful man, thank the Lord,” Turpin said. “Two years out of my three years here, I’m just grateful to show my ability on special teams. I’m grateful.”
Prior to joining the Cowboys, Turpin went undrafted and played in the USFL, Fan Controlled Football League and even oversees in Europe. He was the 2022 MVP of the USFL in their inaugural season. Now that he’s made it to the big leagues, he’s proven he belongs.
“Competitive, I’m a little guy, 5’9, 150 pounds going out there and competing on a big level with the big guys,” Turpin said when asked what stood out about himself on his journey to the NFL. “I’m just competitive, I go out there and compete no matter what the circumstances.”
And now, Turpin has backed that up with his second Pro Bowl nomination. He’s the only player in the NFL to have a punt return and kickoff return for a touchdown this season and is the first player in franchise history with at least a punt return, kick return and receiving TD in the same season. To make things more impressive, Turpin has made the Pro Bowl as a return specialist in the age of the old kickoff rules, and now the new ones as well.
“Just being versatile, no matter what you do, I can go out there and just be me and just be a playmaker no matter what the rules are,” Turpin said. “No matter what you try to change formats, I’m going to go out there and just try to be the best at what I do.”
His impact hasn’t only come on special teams though. As a receiver, Turpin has added career highs in receptions (28) and yards (367) to go along with two touchdowns. Turpin and Kevin Williams are the only two Cowboys that have a rushing, receiving, punt return and kickoff return TDs in their Cowboys career.
His impact was felt the most the last time that the Cowboys played the Commanders, with an electrifying 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to give the Cowboys a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.
“I feel like that’s one of the best plays that happened this year,” Turpin said. “I’m grateful for it and I still enjoy that moment.”
When the Commanders come into town on Sunday, Turpin hopes he gets a chance to have another similar kind of play.
“My people still send it to me, I still reflect on it,” Turpin said of the kickoff return. “I hope they give me another one so I can try and do something again on them.”
And if there was ever any question, Turpin still strongly believes he’s the fastest man in the NFL.
“Come on man, duh,” Turpin said with a laugh. “Yea I’m the fastest. That’s my mindset, always going to be my mindset no matter where I go.”
Johnston gave the Stars a 1-0 lead at 8:58 of the first period. His slap shot from above the right face-off circle deflected off Wild forward Danila Yurov and then bounced off the end boards and in off Wallstedt’s left arm.
“I’ve had a goal like that go in on me, too, that’s a tough bounce,” Oettinger said. “Like I said in Game 1, we got some bad bounces. We got a nice bounce there. We had one where I was behind the net, and the guy was shooting it in the net and our (defense) stopped it, so we got some good bounces. The way we played the last 40 minutes of the game, I think, didn’t give up much, had a ton of good chances offensively. The power play, we got looks and our (penalty kill) was great. If we kind of build off the game that we played the last 40 minutes, I think we should feel very good for the next few games.”
Faber tied it 1-1 at 11:33. He took a pass from Hughes, skated around Robertson in the left circle and cut to the slot, where his wrist shot ramped up and in off Oettinger.
Duchene put the Stars back up 2-1 with a power-play goal at 4:02 of the second period. Mikko Rantanen gained the offensive zone along the right boards and sent a backhand pass to Duchene, who snapped the puck between Wallstedt’s pads from in front.
Robertson made it 3-1 at 7:09 of the third period when he tipped Lundkvist’s wrist shot from the blue line past the right pad of Wallstedt.
“I think we got to do a better job, I mean, the odd-man’s, right? I thought we played a really good game. Probably their best game, you know, meaningful game. And, yeah, we didn’t get fazed by it. Was really good by us. Just got to be smarter in some areas, and we get to go back home and in front of our crowd,” Minnesota forward Marcus Foligno said. “They want (penalties). I mean, they’re looking to play 5-on-4. I mean, that’s their game. They can’t hang with us 5-on-5. We got to just be smarter, and myself included. But it’s a heated game out there. You’re gonna have emotional swings and learn from it. We got a split series.”
Jeff Kolb and Sam Gannon welcome Cowboys insiders Clarence Hill (All City Dallas) and Calvin Watkins (Dallas Morning News) for a hilarious breakdown of the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. Giving insight, arguments, and plenty of laughs as two of the best Dallas Cowboys writers in the business go head-to-head on what Dallas should do next.
Dallas, TX
New video of Lake Dallas explosion draws focus on order decades ago to remove old plastic pipes
-
Technology3 minutes agoThe Vergecast Vergecast, 2026 edition
-
World9 minutes agoMexico pyramid shooter who took hostages and killed 1 is identified
-
Politics15 minutes agoByron Donalds cracks down on persistent border blind spot leaving US vulnerable to overstays
-
Health21 minutes agoHealthy diets spark lung cancer risk in non-smokers as pesticides loom
-
Sports27 minutes agoPGA Tour signals new era with axing of Hawaii events from schedule
-
Technology33 minutes agoAlexa+ lets you order food like a real conversation
-
Business39 minutes agoNew lawsuit alleges Uber is violating drivers’ rights. Here’s how
-
Entertainment45 minutes agoReview: Trigger warning? ‘For Want of a Horse’ gives new meaning to the term ‘animal lover’