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By Jon Machota
Aug 21, 2022
55
KaVontae Turpin left no doubt about his roster spot Saturday night at SoFi Stadium. The Cowboys have clearly found their punt and kick returner, and maybe more.
The former TCU standout and MVP of the USFL pulled off one of the most difficult accomplishments in sports, he made a preseason game entertaining, leading the Cowboys to a 32-18 win over the host Los Angeles Chargers.
Midway through the first quarter, Turpin fielded a kickoff at Dallas’ 2-yard line. Twelve seconds later he was standing in the opposite end zone. The 5-7, 158-pound wide receiver didn’t need to make many moves on the play, his speed created most of the separation.
“I’m an exciting player,” Turpin said, “and every time I get the ball, there’s a big play waiting to happen. I’m happy to be here and take advantage of this opportunity.”
The 98-yard kickoff return wasn’t even his most impressive play of the night. Late in the second quarter, Turpin fielded a punt at Dallas’ 14-yard line. After dancing back and forth to avoid several defenders, he found some daylight and avoided a couple more. Eighty-six yards later, Turpin scored again.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy didn’t need to see any more. Turpin’s night was done. When the team returned to the sideline to start the second half, Turpin was no longer wearing his helmet or shoulder pads. His roster spot was secure.
#TURPINTIME
“I think there’s a great chance that he will be returning kicks against Tampa Bay (in Week 1),” McCarthy said with a smile after the game. “He’s such an exciting young player. You could see it from Day 1. Obviously, he had a very successful run there with the USFL. Really, from the first day of practice, he came in and I was really impressed with what he picked up at receiver. You could see he’s dynamic in the return game.
“I think any time you have a new player come into your program that makes an impact like that, that’s unique. That was a big lift for us. … I’m glad he’s with us.”
Here are 14 other takeaways from the Cowboys’ second preseason game.
Cooper Rush. He wasn’t overly impressive Saturday night, but he remains the favorite to be Dak Prescott’s backup. Rush started the game and led the offense on a 12-play, 6-minute touchdown drive midway through the second quarter. He took care of the ball while completing 3-of-6 passes for 32 yards. He probably should’ve had a touchdown pass but rookie wide receiver Jalen Tolbert did not get his second foot down in the back of the end zone.
Will Grier. He made his preseason debut after missing last weekend’s game with a groin injury. McCarthy said after Saturday night’s game that Grier might have re-aggravated the injury. “It was a gritty performance,” McCarthy added. “It was good to see him in command and run this offense. I thought he did a really nice job.” Grier was 6-of-10 passing for 98 yards. He also ran once for nine yards. Grier has looked like the better QB at times during camp, but it’s unlikely that he will overtake Rush for the backup job unless he plays significantly better than Rush in Dallas’ final preseason game next Friday night. Rush’s play last season should give him the edge if it’s a close call.
Penalties. A week after committing a league-high 17 penalties against the Broncos, the Cowboys trimmed that number to eight against the Chargers. “No excuse last week,” McCarthy said, “but you look at the factors involved and those are opportunities you can grow from. We took full advantage of the opportunity, but hey, I get to see these guys work every day. It’s an outstanding locker room, just fully committed. If you want to play to the level of intensity that it takes to win in this league, week in and week out, you have to learn to play at that level of competitiveness. That’s all part of the process.”
Health. Aside from an update on Grier’s groin issue, it appears the Cowboys have escaped a second preseason game without any major setbacks in the injury department. And considering how cautious McCarthy has been with veteran players during training camp and the preseason, don’t be surprised if most of the starters sit out the final preseason game. The good news is that the roster should be in pretty good shape entering Week 1.
Trysten Hill. He made the defensive play of the game late in the second quarter, stripping Chargers QB Easton Stick and then falling on the ball for the recovery. “He’s having a great camp,” McCarthy said of Hill. “He’s another guy I’m excited about. He’s been playing very well.” The defensive line group is going to be a difficult one to trim down. Hill has proven that he deserves a roster spot.
Tyler Smith. Similar to last week’s game, there was some good and some bad from the rookie left guard. There was a costly false start penalty on third-and-7 late in the second quarter, but there was also some very good run blocking, most notably in the second quarter as Dallas built a 29-10 halftime lead.
Run defense. It was very good again as the Chargers managed only 77 yards on 25 carries. Of course, most starters weren’t playing for either team. But if the Cowboys’ run defense can be anywhere near as strong as it’s been through two preseason games, this really should be one of the NFL’s top defensive units.
Israel Mukuamu (Kirby Lee / USA Today)
Israel Mukuamu. He got off to a hot start, playing strong run defense and then intercepting a poorly thrown ball near the Cowboys sideline less than two minutes into the game. Jayron Kearse, Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson are all higher on the depth chart, but Mukuamu is showing he definitely belongs in the mix. “I’m so proud of Israel,” McCarthy said. “Just watching him throughout the offseason, the early workouts, the four days a week being there with his teammates in the morning and then he’d come back for a second session in the afternoon. He has made a huge leap from Year 1 to Year 2.”
Swing tackle. The Cowboys need to add a veteran offensive tackle before Week 1. Josh Ball struggled again Saturday night. He might grow into a solid player, but that backup tackle spot is just too important to risk going as young as Dallas is at the moment.
Jalen Tolbert. Like with Smith, there was some good and some bad. The 19-yard connection with Rush early in the second quarter was a key play on that TD drive. The Cowboys need more of that from their third-round pick. The negatives were the drop on third-and-9 and not getting both feet down in the back of the end zone. With all the attention CeeDee Lamb is expected to get, Tolbert should see some favorable matchups once the season starts. Will he be able to consistently take advantage? If not, Noah Brown or Simi Fehoko or Dennis Houston might have to play a bigger role.
Backup corners. DaRon Bland continues to look like Dallas’ best cornerback not named Trevon Diggs, Anthony Brown or Jourdan Lewis. Bland was again solid while Nahshon Wright gave up another big completion and had a costly pass interference penalty late in the first half. Opposing QBs seem way too confident targeting Wright on deep balls. Kelvin Joseph struggled with too much cushion early but seemed to adjust a little later, getting his hands on a pass breakup. It still seems like a good bet that the Cowboys will keep six cornerbacks.
Kicker. Neither has clearly pulled ahead in the competition. Lirim Hajrullahu might have a slight edge. He made a 35-yard field goal and an extra point Saturday night. Brett Maher made both of his extra points but came up short on a 61-yard field goal attempt. This competition might just come down to who kicks better next Friday night at AT&T Stadium.
Malik Davis. The Cowboys are unlikely to keep four running backs. If they do, Davis will make the cut. But it’s more likely that they’ll keep three and that final spot will come down to Rico Dowdle or Davis. The coaches would probably favor Dowdle because of his experience, but Davis is making things difficult. He continues to be elusive and physical. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry Saturday after averaging 6.4 yards per carry last week.
Jake Ferguson. The rookie continues to show that he could already be the team’s second-best tight end behind Dalton Schultz. His catch over the middle and broken tackle was one of the game’s best highlights. The Cowboys might have found themselves another mid-round draft steal at the position. “He’s such an instinctive, tough football player,” McCarthy said. “That’s what we really liked about him coming from Wisconsin. He hasn’t disappointed. He’s scrappy. He’s on the edge. He’s chippy. All those things. The young man can play. He’s been very productive, not only at the tight end position, but also on special teams.”
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