DALLAS — I remember a fascinating response while interviewing Deion Sanders during his Cowboys career about his thought process while returning punts. Sanders believed there was a touchdown out there every time he took the field.
His challenge was to find it. He often did exactly that.
I was reminded of that conversation from decades ago while interviewing KaVontae Turpin at his locker after his 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown Sunday in Washington.
I mentioned to Turpin the mindset Deion took to the field – his unfailing sense there was a touchdown waiting to be discovered – and asked whether he takes a similar approach.
“Yeah, pretty much,’’ Turpin replied. “You know, there aren’t going to be too many times I touch the ball, especially in the return game. So I’m taking advantage of those opportunities with every chance I get."
“You know, they’re going to stop kicking to me. They’ve got to respect me back there, man. I’m not the only person back there for no reason, so you’ve got to respect me," Turpin added.
During his Hall of Fame career in which he won Super Bowls with both the 49ers and Cowboys, Sanders was a shutdown cornerback, an occasional wide receiver and one of the most accomplished punt and kickoff returners in NFL history. He scored three times on kickoff returns and six times returning punts.
Turpin is the only player in the NFL this season with both punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns. He’s not yet in Sanders’ class, but he is now one of five players in NFL since 1970 to record punt and kickoff return touchdowns and a scoring reception of 60 or more yards.
The others are: Hall of Famer Devin Hester, Dante Hall, Terrence Wilkins, and Billy “White Shoes” Johnson. Hester is the most recent to have accomplished the feat. Nobody has done it in 17 years ... until Turpin.
And he did it in the first 11 games of the current season. Turpin contributed a 60-yard punt return Week 1 against the Browns. He had a 64-yard touchdown reception from backup quarterback Cooper Rush in Week 11. Then, the third element, the 99-yard kickoff return in Week 12 at Washington.
“Man, I just feel like, me personally, I needed that,” Turpin said. “My last contract year, I just feel like it was good for me to have that, especially on special teams. It’s just wonderful.”
Two unique talents the Cowboys will prioritize signing this offseason: Micah Parsons and Turpin. One a first-round draft pick; the other an undrafted free agent with a franchise that has an incredible history of discovering such players, from Cornell Green, Cliff Harris and Drew Pearson to Tony Romo.
In fact, Turpin and teammate Juanyeh Thomas became the first teammates in NFL history with fourth quarter kickoff returns for touchdowns in the same game. The Thomas touchdown came on an onside kick and was a situational football failure; Turpin’s touchdown was athletic genius.
Perhaps the most inexplicable component was that Washington head coach Dan Quinn thought it was good strategy to kick to Turpin after spending three seasons as a Dallas assistant. He should have known better. Austin Seibert executed what he described as a “dirty kick’’ with a low trajectory that bounced and proved difficult for Turpin to return. He initially mishandled the ball near the 5-yard line and retrieved it near the goal line.
“When I muffed it, I was 'Oh,'" Turpin said. "So when I picked it up, and I still had like 20 yards in front of me, I was like, 'Man, I can make something out of nothing at this point.' I was just calm, just being me. Being nonchalant and going out there trying to make a play."
Turpin’s unique approach in not immediately accelerating with the ball seems to provide an advantage in this era of the NFL’s new dynamic kickoff rules, which has slowed coverage teams to avoid violent collisions and lower the injury rate.
"I feel like it was good because once I muffed it, they just started running free," Turpin said. "They start getting out of their lanes and stuff like that."
"That's my superpower man because when I get the ball, all the guys are already fighting and all this, so by the time I do my jog and by the time I get free, they've already run at full speed. I'm here," Turpin said. "Once I hit the hole, [there's] nothing they can do at that point."
Turpin spun around as the defenders approached.
"The crazy thing is I used do that [spin move] at TCU," Turpin said. "I used to just do the juke in the USFL. During practice and stuff, I used to just mess around. That's how I got the spin move, and I don't really use it often. Just do it when I'm in trouble. The instinct just tells me to do it. It's really about instincts."
Turpin reached a speed of 21.35 miles per hour on his 99-yard return score, and he is now the owner of three of the 20 fastest speeds by a ball-carrier in 2024, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats. Turpin hit a top speed of 22.36 miles per hour on his 64-yard touchdown on a slant against the Houston Texans in Week 11. That's both the fastest this season and the fastest by a ball-carrier since 2020.
“I’ve been telling people for years, even when I wasn’t in the NFL, I told them I could beat them,’’ Turpin said. “I can be — have always been — the fastest person on this planet. That’s how I feel. I feel like I’m the fastest player in the NFL.’’
It was his speed that captivated the Cowboys.
Vice President of Player Personnel Will McClay remembers that in scouting other leagues, Turpin created attention based on his return abilities and how fast he appeared compared to those he was playing against in the USFL, where he was the MVP in 2022.
Turpin was not on the team’s original list of players to be considered. He was added later when McClay’s staff did a second review.
The Cowboys were aware of Turpin’s playmaking history at TCU, where a domestic violence incident cost him an invitation to the NFL scouting combine. McClay and his staff had concerns about his size – Turpin said Monday he currently weighs 155 pounds – but those were eased as McClay watched with interest each of his TCU and USFL touches. His speed and instant acceleration overwhelmed any issues the Cowboys had about his lack of size.
McClay shared those videos to Dallas special teams coach John Fassel. The Cowboys worked him out and signed him in training camp. He made the roster, returning a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and a punt 86 yards for another touchdown.
Now, he’s an All-Pro returner and tied with CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Tolbert for most touchdowns scored (four), while leading the NFL with 762 kickoff return yards.
I asked Turpin where he’s most improved.
“Just confidence," Turpin said. "My first two years, I [was] just doing too much thinking, not being myself. I just feel like this year, I'm way more calm. I'm way more poised and being myself and be the player that I always was.’’
Turpin celebrated his touchdown in Washington by sharing an embrace on the sideline with Mike McCarthy.
“Me and Mike, we've been close ever since I got here, man. He showed me the most love, respect and gave me an opportunity. ... Man, I love that guy, man. That's my guy. ... He always says, 'That's my guy.' That's the thing we tell each other," Turpin said.
"I can't just say enough about Turp," McCarthy said. "Some players you just connect with quicker than others, and just always encouraged him at those moments because he's special. That's a special young man. He's as dynamic of a player, not only as a returner, that I've been able to work with. It's just been really cool watching him grow. He's got a great personality. He lights up the room. He has a really great sense of humor. Just really enjoy him."
One other significant area of improvement for Turpin this season is his vision. His girlfriend convinced him to be evaluated by an optometrist. He was diagnosed with near-sightedness and now wears contact lenses on the field. He wears eyeglasses around the facility and especially in the team meeting rooms.
As he sat at his locker, the eyeglasses were next to him. Turpin said, without them, he couldn’t clearly see the names on the locker cubicles across the room.
But Turpin can see the distant end zone. More clearly now than ever.
“Always,’’ he said. “Always.’
Sounds like Deion Sanders.
More Dallas Cowboys coverage: