Cowboys fans have spent plenty of time this summer talking up Ryan Flournoy, and for good reason. The third-year receiver from Central Missouri State has been getting national buzz as a breakout candidate in 2026, especially after a handful of strong showings last season and his expected rise to the clear No. 3 spot behind CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
But there’s another name on this roster that deserves just as much attention: KaVontae Turpin.
Turpin has already built a reputation as one of the league’s most dangerous returners since joining Dallas as a free agent from the UFL in 2022. He made the Pro Bowl in his first NFL season as a returner, then took it a step further in 2024 by earning All-Pro honors after leading the league in kick return yards (904) and kick return average (33.5).
That special-teams impact has always been his calling card, but his offensive role has steadily expanded too. He’s gone from being viewed as a gadget piece to becoming a real weapon, one that Dak Prescott and the coaching staff trust more and more.
ESPN’s recent ranking of all 32 rosters ahead of training camps put Dallas at No. 14, and the Cowboys’ offense was a big reason why. The site pointed to one of the NFL’s best wide receiver groups and singled out Turpin multiple times in its evaluation.
Aaron Schatz wrote: “We know he's one of the best kick return men in the NFL, but Turpin has also been extremely useful as a depth receiver, with receiving DVOA over 15.0% in two of the past three seasons. Last season, he caught 26 passes for 396 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 2.3 YAC over expectation.”
Even with a crowded receiver room in 2025, Turpin still logged a career-high 380 offensive snaps. That worked out to 36 percent of Dallas’ offensive snaps, a clear jump from 27 percent in 2024. Before that, he had never topped 13 percent in a season, according to Pro Football Reference.
The biggest reason is easy to spot: speed. Dallas simply doesn’t have another player who brings Turpin’s burst and quickness, and that gives the offense a different kind of threat when it needs a spark.
The numbers back up the big-play case. Turpin averaged 15.2 yards per catch last season, the best mark of his career and just behind Pickens’ 15.4. An 86-yard touchdown in Week 17 helped lift that average, but he’s been a downfield threat for Dallas over the last two seasons.
He’s also become a more efficient receiver when the ball comes his way, exactly the kind of player who can make Prescott’s job easier. The Cowboys don’t need Turpin to turn into a 1,000-yard receiver, and that’s not the plan. Lamb and Pickens are going to carry the load, while Flournoy and Turpin handle the support work around them.
If Dallas leans even more on three-receiver sets in 2026, Turpin could see even more chances. Clean up the drop issues - he had four in 2025 - and there’s a path for him to push past 400 snaps.
For the Cowboys, the best version of that role is simple: Turpin keeps growing as the No. 4 receiver, Lamb and Pickens get the occasional breather, and Dallas keeps its top playmakers fresh for the moments that matter most. Turpin is already the No. 4 receiver on this roster, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if his offensive role keeps climbing.
In Other News...
George Pickens Just Sent Cowboys Fans A Needed Message Before Camp
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For a team trying to keep its passing game on track heading toward the 2026 season, those early gatherings matter, especially with Pickens still settling into the Cowboys rhythm after a spring that included a late arrival to OTAs before he joined the mandatory portion of the offseason program. The next question is how all of that translates once camp starts and the pads come on, because the Cowboys are counting on their new receiver to fit quickly into an offense that already has a lot of continuity. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Offense Has A Thin Margin For Error In 2026
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Brevyn Spann-Ford is another player worth watching as the Cowboys sort out how much they want to lean into their tight end depth behind Jake Ferguson. He outplayed Luke Schoonmaker last year and has moved into the TE2 spot, which gives Dallas another potential piece if the offense uses more two-tight-end sets. The bigger picture is simple enough: with so much of the offense already set, the Cowboys do not have many places to hide if one of these spots turns into a weak link. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Jones Faces Another Massive Cowboys Decision On Quinnen Williams
Quinnen Williams is barely settled into what should be his first full season in Dallas, but his long-term future is already the kind of conversation that tends to follow premium talent around the Cowboys. Jerry Jones has never been shy about moving early on core players when it helps with cap planning, and Williams fits the profile of a defender whose value can climb fast if he looks like the difference-maker Dallas expects.
The timing matters because defensive tackle money keeps rising, and the Cowboys know how quickly a bargain can turn into a premium. Williams has already drawn enough attention to make an extension a real possibility before the season gets rolling, and Dallas may prefer to get ahead of that market rather than chase it later. [Read more 🡒]