KaVontae Ranks As Breakout Candidate for Cowboys Offense

The Dallas Cowboys improved their wide receiver room this offseason by trading for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens.

Pickens will immediately slot in as the No. 2 receiver behind superstar wideout CeeDee Lamb.

With the top two spots on the depth chart seemingly set in stone, where does every receiver below them fall in the pecking order - particularly 2024 first team All-Pro return specialist KaVontae Turpin?

Turpin is coming off his best season with the Cowboys, recording 420 receiving yards and two touchdowns during the 2024 campaign.

Dan Rogers from Blogging The Boys believes Turpin could have a breakout season as the team’s No. 3 receiver.

"Why Turpin?” Rogers wrote. “Because he just signed a three-year extension this offseason, meaning he's sticking around through 2027. You could also make a case for last year's sixth-round pick, Ryan Flournoy, as he also has three years left on his deal. Turpin is still the better choice because he's also an All-Pro returner.

"If you're a Jalen Tolbert fan, it would be great to see him do well, but the timing would stink because he'll enter free agency next offseason. Parris Campbell is also an unfavorable choice since he's only on a one-year deal. Jonathan Mingo or Jalen Brooks have two years left on their rookie deals, so one of them emerging would be okay, but still not as advantageous as Turpin or Flournoy.''

The 2025 Cowboys would of course be foolish to not allow Tolbert to win the job because of his contract. They would also be foolish to give the job to Mingo just to justify having traded for him.

So ... play Turpin more to justify a salary that might come in, with incentives, at $6 million per year?

That's a poor reason, too.

Turpin is entering his fourth season with the Cowboys and could serve as a vital complementary piece in an offense that has the potential to be an explosive one. But the reason for Dallas to explore the idea isn't about how he's paid.

It's about how he plays.