Cowboys’ Margin for Error Is Gone - And KaVontae Turpin's Costly Mistakes Aren’t Helping
With just four games left in the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys are officially out of runway. If they want any shot at overtaking the Eagles for the NFC East crown, the path is clear - and brutally narrow.
Win out. Hope Philadelphia stumbles twice.
That’s it. No room for slip-ups, no margin for error.
And while Dak Prescott and the offense have been firing on all cylinders, the defense has shown just enough inconsistency to keep fans on edge. That puts even more pressure on special teams to be sharp, disciplined, and - at the very least - not self-destructive.
That hasn’t been the case lately. In fact, special teams have become a liability. And right now, KaVontae Turpin is at the center of the storm.
Turpin’s Mental Mistakes Are Mounting
Turpin’s issues returning kickoffs are one thing - not ideal, but manageable. What’s becoming a real problem are the mental lapses on punt returns. In back-to-back games, Turpin has committed invalid fair catch signals - one of the more avoidable and costly penalties in football.
Against the Chiefs, it didn’t end up hurting the Cowboys in the final score. But in a tight loss to the Lions, it loomed large. These aren’t just miscues - they’re the kind of mental breakdowns that swing field position, kill momentum, and put unnecessary stress on both sides of the ball.
Even team owner Jerry Jones didn’t hold back when asked about it during his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan.
“He’s got to quit doing that,” Jones said bluntly.
That kind of public callout doesn’t happen often unless the frustration is real - and the leash is getting short.
Rare Penalty, Repeated Mistake
To put Turpin’s recent blunders in perspective: according to Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan, the entire NFL had been flagged for a fair catch infraction once in the previous 2,265 days. Turpin has now done it twice in less than two weeks.
That’s not just rare - it’s almost unprecedented. And it’s a tough pill to swallow from a player whose primary role is to be a difference-maker in the return game.
Last season, Turpin earned first-team All-Pro honors by averaging 10.4 yards per punt return. This year?
That number has plummeted to 5.5 yards per return - a significant drop-off that puts him near the bottom of the league. He’s not flipping the field.
He’s not breaking big plays. And now, he’s making mental mistakes that are actively hurting the team.
Time for a Change?
There’s been no official indication that the Cowboys are ready to make a switch at punt returner, but at this point, it wouldn’t be a shock if someone else was back there against the Vikings. With the offense rolling and the defense needing every bit of help it can get, the last thing Dallas can afford is to lose field position - or worse - because of avoidable penalties on special teams.
Jones’ comments suggest Turpin will get another shot, but the message is clear: the leash is short. The Cowboys need clean execution in all three phases, and right now, Turpin’s performances aren’t meeting the moment.
With the season hanging in the balance, every decision - and every snap - matters. And if Dallas wants to keep its NFC East hopes alive, it can’t afford to have special teams be the reason they fall short.