Cowboys need to change the return game so their returner can return things

Let’s go through a quick strategy session, shall we? Let’s say an opposing team lines up two kick returners. One of these returners is a reserve safety with average speed and below-average return ability. The other returner is a true kick return specialist with elite speed and Pro Bowl return ability. How would you as a kicker team deal with this situation?

If you answered, “Put it in the backup backup,” you’re not alone. Each of the Cowboys opponents this season has opted to target safety Juanyeh Thomas instead of pro returner KaVonate Turpin. It’s not hard to understand why either. Turpin is one of the most feared returners in the game today. Given the choice between the two, no one in their right mind would target Turpin. Because of this, the former TCU star has only had two returns this season, while Thomas has six.

Cowboys rookie WR KaVontae Turpin hit 20.95 MPH on his kickoff return for a touchdown and 20.86 MPH on his punt return for a touchdown, according to Next Gen Stats. pic.twitter.com/v30AILm5Vq

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) August 21, 2022

This strategy has made Turpin nothing more than a premier blocker on the kick return unit. At 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, he’s not exactly the ideal blocker, but what else is he supposed to do when teams swing away from him?

It appears there is a Turpin avoidance problem in Dallas right now and it is up to the Cowboys to find a solution.

One possible solution is to modernize the return area next to Turpin. Thomas is averaging just 24 yards per return this season, well below the league average and well below Turpin’s 34.5. Thomas also has the fourth-most return attempts in the NFL, suggesting this is not a product of sample size.

It stands to reason that a more explosive player could produce better results in this role. Possible solutions include Deuce Vaughn, Rico Dowdle, Jalen Tolbert and Ryan Flournoy. Given Donovan Wilson’s volatility at safety, Thomas could certainly expect to get more snaps at safety anyway.

Another possible solution is to combat the opponent’s predictability with unpredictability. As expected, the opponents target the player opposite Turpin. So what if the Cowboys obscure which side of the field Turpin is on?

If both receivers begin the process in the middle of the court and only break out to their respective sides once the shooting movement has begun, they deprive the shooting team of the opportunity to target specific players. That would give Turpin a 50-50 chance of returning the ball, which would be a significant improvement over what he gets today.

What the Cowboys can’t do is continue to allow teams to dictate the terms of a return because they’ll target the man not named “Turpin” every time. In that case, the Cowboys might as well take Turpin off the field entirely and replace him with a true lead blocker, since that’s all he’s done anyway.

It’s innovation time in Dallas. John Fassel and his team are currently faced with a very predictable situation and must find ways around it.

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