Cowboys return ace KaVontae Turpin questionable for Week 18; who is Plan B?
The seasonal virus that has worked its way through the Cowboys locker room for nearly two months running could make things interesting right up to and including the final game of the regular season.
KaVontae Turpin popped up on Friday’s practice report, sitting out the day’s walkthrough with an illness. He is officially listed as questionable for the team’s Week 18 contest in Washington.
The rookie was voted to the Pro Bowl Games as the NFC’s return specialist, but if Turpin is still under the weather come Sunday, the Cowboys may have to go Plan B.
Problem is, who that would actually be isn’t immediately obvious.
Turpin is the only player to have returned a punt for Dallas this season, recording 290 yards on 25 returns. Of the team’s 20 kick returns, Turpin has 19 of them. Rookie tight end Peyton Hendershot ran one back for 18 yards in Week 10 against Green Bay.
KaVontae Turpin is questionable for Sunday's game vs. Washington because of an illness. He was not feeling well Thursday but practiced. He did not work out on Friday.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) January 6, 2023
Running back Tony Pollard is listed on the team’s official depth chart as the second-string return man behind Turpin, but with the almost-1,000-yard rusher playing such a vital role in the Cowboys offense and just returning from a thigh bruise, it’s difficult to imagine the team putting him in such a high-risk situation, especially with with the playoffs looming.
Looking back at last season doesn’t provide an obvious answer, either. In 2021, CeeDee Lamb led the team with 14 punt returns and Trevon Diggs had two; both also have to be considered too valuable to suddenly expose to that kind of risk for the first time all year. Cedrick Wilson (11 punt returns) is gone; Nahshon Wright returned one punt for zero yards last season.
Pollard was still handling kick returns in 2021, with the now-jettisoned Corey Clement and JaQuan Hardy spelling him.
So who on the current roster could get the call if Turpin can’t go?
C.J. Goodwin is already a special teams ace. So is Luke Gifford. Would John Fassel turn to a current ball-carrier with collegiate return experience? Like Malik Davis? He returned a handful of kicks at Florida. Noah Brown returned one, too, at Ohio State… back in 2014.
Or is there someone else on the practice squad that the coaching staff has that kind of trust in? Wide receiver Antonio Callaway has seven punt returns and eight kick returns on his pro resumé. Cornerback Kendall Sheffield handled six kick returns for Atlanta in 2019.
Heck, Micah Parsons has probably already put in his request.
Only time will tell if Turpin can be ready for Sunday’s kickoff. But the 26-year-old rookie can’t really be blamed for being a bit run down; between his spring season as MVP of the USFL and his electrifying full first season in the NFL, Turpin played an incredible 30 professional football games in the calendar year 2022.
The Cowboys are hoping to get just about five more out of him before a well-deserved break.
List
Cowboys News: Focus on Washington, who needs to step up, new CB option?
List
Speaker McCarthy weighs in on upcoming vote; topics in house address
