The Dallas Cowboys brought in all sorts of running backs this offseason to try and fill their opening in the backfield.
What if the solution was on the team all along?
At minicamp, explosive return man and wide receiver KaVontae Turpin took reps at running back.
“Turpin remains an option out of the backfield under Brian Schottenheimer,” wrote the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris. “He saw multiple snaps at RB today and took a carry outside left.”
Turpin, 28, has made the Pro Bowl twice as a return man.
He has played three seasons for the Cowboys, totaling 44 catches for 556 yards and five TDs as a receiver.
On runs, mostly gadget plays, Turpin has 30 carries for 219 yards and one score.
If he moves into the backfield more permanently, it’d be a move similar to what Cordarrelle Patterson did later in his career after being a stud return man and underwhelming pass catcher.
Dallas has Miles Sanders, Javonte Williams and rookies Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah competing for the running back job.
Turpin probably wouldn’t be a heavy-workload guy back there, but he’s capable of taking the ball to the house anytime he touches it.
Finding more ways to give Turpin the ball would never be a bad idea, especially if it kills two birds with one stone by fixing the RB issue, too.
