“Wednesday I took it one day at a time, each play at a time. Thursday I went in there ready to go, and then today I went out there not even worrying, just knowing I’ll be out there Sunday.”
He’ll also join fellow WR CeeDee Lamb on the field, who has missed Dallas’ last three full games with a high ankle sprain. In the absence of Lamb and Turpin, George Pickens stepped up for the Cowboys offense.
With Lamb and Turpin returning to the lineup, the hope is that the NFL’s number one offense can only continue to improve under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
“I would just say keep faith in Schotty,” Turpin said. “I hope he can get the ball to everyone, everyone is trying to play. Boy [George Pickens] Man, I just hope they continue to find ways to move him around, put him in the slot and find ways to get him the ball.
In Week 12 of last year, Turpin had the highlight of his career, and perhaps the Cowboys’ entire season, with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Turpin first fumbled the kickoff, went back to the one-yard line to get the ball, made a spin move on a Washington defender, then reached speeds of 21.35 miles per hour to run away from everyone and give Dallas a double-digit lead late in the fourth quarter.
It’s a piece that has taken over social media, and one that Turpin still sees pop up on his own feeds from time to time. This week he wants to offer something new.
“This time I’m trying to do something different,” Turpin said. “I’m trying to do something spectacular that will go viral. So that’s the plan for now.”
What ended up making this play a touchdown, besides Turpin’s unique speed, was his patience. This continues to be an element of his game on kickoff returns due to the different ways kickers attempt to force opposing teams to set up their returns under the NFL’s new kickoff rule.
“I’m always patient,” Turpin said. “When I’m out there alone, I don’t know how they’re going to kick it, if they’re going to come back, if they’re going to take a dirty ball, they’re going to kick it right at me, that’ll be it. So now I have to think about it more, see how the guys kick me.”
Sunday’s game between the Commanders and Cowboys serves as the early marker to determine who will take second place in the NFC East. The Commanders currently sit in second place with a 1-0 record but hold a 3-3 record, with the Cowboys behind them at 2-3-1 with a 1-1 division record. Turpin’s approach to getting to that second place is to keep doing what they’re doing and take it one step at a time.
“It’s the NFL,” Turpin said. “Every division is going to be tough, conference is going to be tough. We just have to take it one game at a time. We’re third right now, we just have to take it one day at a time…it’s wide open, but we have to continue to do what we have to do.”
