The way the NFL offenses used to work was that, sometimes, teams would employ a “gadget” player into their schemes — usually a smaller, faster player who would line up at slot wide receiver or in the backfield and had a package of plays they could dial up at any time.
That player, in this old way of doing things, would usually return kicks or punts as well — the main player that comes to mind is former Kansas City Chiefs star and “Human Joystick” Dante Hall, a 2-time NFL All-Pro and 2-time Pro Bowler.
The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf predicts 2-time Pro Bowl and 2024 NFL All-Pro return specialist Kavontae Turpin could fill that role with the Dallas Cowboys in 2025 — a specialized weapon for the offense.
“I feel like Turpin will be used more as a playmaker than a receiver this year, which is better suited for who he is,” Yousuf wrote on June 19. “This offseason, we’ve seen Turpin carry the ball out of the backfield and run quick routes close to the line of scrimmage that enable him to get the ball in space. There was some of that last year, but last year also featured some deep balls in third-and-10 situations that aren’t what Turpin is built for. With (CeeDee) Lamb and (George) Pickens handling their business, the underneath should open up more for Turpin.”
Dismissed From TCU Over Domestic Violence Arrest
Turpin was one of the best special teams players in the country over his final 2 seasons at TCU and had 6 career special teams touchdowns when he was dismissed from the team over 2 domestic violence charges.
Turpin, a 2-time All-Big 12 pick, already had his size working against him at just 5-foot-9 and 153 pounds, and compounded with an ugly off-field incident he went undrafted in 2019.
For the next 3 years, Turpin kept his NFL dreams alive by bouncing around the nether regions of professional football. That included one season with the Frisco Fighters in the Indoor Football League in 2020, one season with the Wroclaw Panthers in the European League of Football, one season with the Glacier Boyz in the Fan Controlled Football League and one season with the Sea Lions of the The Spring League.
Finally, in 2022, Turpin caught a break with the New Jersey Generals in the USFL in 2022. With the Generals, Turpin was named USFL Most Valuable Player with 921 all-purpose yards and 5 touchdowns in just 10 games.
That led Turpin to his first shot at the NFL, where he became the plug-and-play return specialist for the Cowboys in 2022 and has 3,049 all-purpose yards and 8 touchdowns through his first 3 seasons.
The Cowboys showed how much they think of Turpin this offseason, signing him to a 3-year, $13.5 million contract on March 11.
Major Upgrade for Cowboys at Wide Receiver
The Cowboys underwent a major upgrade at wide receiver in 2025 when they traded for Pittsburgh Steelers star George Pickens to pair with perennial NFL All-Pro CeeDee Lamb — there’s also not a real option at WR3 right now.
Turpin has the opportunity to be a “gadget” player or more in the offense because the Cowboys will need a few more weapons beyond Lamb, Pickens and tight end Jake Ferguson — territory that’s up for grabs at this point.
