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5 Cowboys Playing for Their Job in Preseason Week 1

With less than a week to go until the first preseason game, these five Dallas Cowboys will be playing for their jobs against the LA Rams on Sunday.

By Devon Platana

RB Deuve Vaughn's job could be in jeopardy as the NFL preseason begins.
RB Deuve Vaughn's job could be in jeopardy as the NFL preseason begins. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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3. KaVontae Turpin, WR

KaVontae Turpin earned a lot of support from Cowboys fans after joining the franchise in 2022 following a USFL stint. The ex-TCU playmaker made his way onto the Pro Bowl roster as a returner after returning 29 punts for 303 yards and 21 kickoffs for another 508 yards.

Fans hoping for an encore performance in 2023 were left disappointed, though. Turpin just wasn't as effective as he was in the preseason season, producing just 79 return yards on 13 punts with 292 more yards on 10 kick returns. A big reason behind the decline was that Dallas used the ex-USFL MVP more on offense, proven by his offensive snap count jumping from 62 to 140.

Turpin certainly did what he could to make the most of his opportunities. Not only did he catch 12 of 18 targets (66.7%) for 127 yards and three touchdowns, but he also turned 10 carries into 110 rushing yards with another TD.

But even after that solid showing, Turpin isn't guaranteed to be the WR3 behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks. Returning pass-catchers like Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, and Racey McMath are in the mix while rookie Ryan Flournoy won't go down without a fight either.

Instead of relying on last year's performance, Turpin must perform well against the Rams (and throughout the rest of the preseason) to improve his 53-man roster outlook. Failing to do so could see him fall into a lesser role or even be cut from the team altogether.

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