KaVontae Turpin and 3 other Cowboys whose stock is soaring after Week 12 win

The Dallas Cowboys finally snapped their losing streak against the rival Washington Commanders. In one of the wackiest games of the year and arguably in NFL history, Dallas pulled off a 34-26 upset. On a day where injuries were all over this roster, the team made the plays when it counted on both sides of the ball.

KaVontae Turpin was one of the brightest stars on the field on Sunday. He was not alone as several of his teammates stepped up to grab some of the spotlight. Turpin's stock is rising high after the win but so are a few of his teammates.

Why KaVontae Turpin's stock is rising after the win

As mentioned Turpin stepped up in a major way to help the Cowboys grab the win. He averaged 44.8 yards per kick return in the game. His average for the season has been 34.3 yards per game, which is good enough for second in the NFL. He has been one of the lone bright spots of this 4-7 season, but in Sunday's game he took it to another level.

With the Cowboys holding on to a 27-20 lead late in the fourth quarter, Washington kicked off to Turpin. He bobbled the ball at first but picked it up on the one-yard line and put one of the nastiest spin moves you will ever see on the first defender who came after him. That opened up a lane and he returned the kick 99 yards for a touchdown.

RELATED: Jourdan Lewis said what every Cowboys fan was thinking on KaVontae Turpin's TD

Turpin's return is the pinnacle of a career that began on hard times. After not being drafted after he left TCU, he spent his first few years in different leagues before becoming a star in the USFL. The Cowboys gave him a chance and Sunday's performance proved he was worth the gamble.

Arguably the most dynamic play in football is a kick return and the Cowboys have the best returner in the NFL. After Sunday, teams are going to be more careful about kicking the ball Turpin's way. His stock is at an all-time high after making the play that broke the game open for a team looking for an elusive win.

3 other Cowboys whose stock is rising after the win

3. DE Chauncey Golston

With the injuries Dallas has had on the defensive line this year, they have been looking for help anywhere. The defense got a big boost early in the game from Chauncey Golston. The fourth-year man out of Iowa has seen a lot more of the field and Sunday produced one of the biggest plays of his career.

With Washington driving leading 3-0, Jayden Daniel was hoping to get some easy yards a short pass to Brian Robinson. The ball got there but so did Golston. He intercepted the ball and kept dragging Robinson as he wrestled it away from him. The play was the first of three turnovers the Cowboys would force on the day.

While Golston's interception did not lead to any points, he continued to make plays on defense throughout the day. He had two passes defended, one was a bat down at the line, and a quarterback hit. If he continues to make more plays that make the coaches notice, he might be a Cowboy next year as well.

With the injuries this team has on the defensive line, Golston will get plenty of playing time the rest of the season. With rookie Marshawn Kneeland back, the line contained the running game well on Sunday and did not allow a lot of big plays from Daniels. Golston's play was a big boost and his stock is certainly up after Sunday's win.

2. RB Rico Dowdle

The Cowboys once again did not have a 100-yard rusher in this game, but Sunday's win was the best the running game has looked all season. That was largely because of Rico Dowdle. He finished one-yard short of tying his career best against Pittsburgh (87) with 86 yards on the ground.

Dowdle's average yards per rush was up to 4.5, better than the 4.3 he had against the Steelers. With injuries all over the offensive line, most expected Dallas to throw the ball as much as they did against Houston when Cooper Rush had 55 attempts. Thanks to Dowdle and the run-blocking from a patchwork line, there was some balance in the offense for the first time since their last win in Pittsburgh.

Dowdle has not put up eye-opening numbers this season, but Dallas is still trying to see what they have in him. Sunday's game seemed like he had more confidence as the successful runs kept coming. Mike McCarthy said a few weeks ago that Dowdle would be the starting running back the rest of the year and that looks like a good decision.

Yes, this team needs to get a new starting running back this offseason, but Dowdle might be playing his way into keeping a role on this team if he keeps this up. Right now, the coaches are evaluating for next season. Despite the fumble he had early, Dowdle's stock is rising a bit after a steady performance like he had against Washington.

1. CB Josh Butler

The Cowboys have been just as banged up in the secondary as almost everywhere else on this team. DaRon Bland made his return on Sunday, but the other member of the tandem Trevon Diggs did not travel. With the Cowboys once again down their best corner, most expected the Commanders to air it out all day. Enter Josh Butler.

He made his first start lining up on the other side of Bland. He took advantage and had a career day with 12 total tackles, one sack and three passes defended. With Washington having receivers like Terry McLaurlin and Noah Brown, Washington has guys that can stretch the field. Butler showed he was up to the challenge most of the game.

Butler's journey to his first NFL start was not easy. After losing both of his parents during his time at Michigan State, he went viral by being accompanied by his dogs on senior day. After going undrafted in 2018, he did not play football again until 2021 in the Spring League, a developmental league. Even after that, he would be out of football until 2023.

That year he signed with the Michigan Panthers of the USFL. After a standout year there, the Cowboys picked him up for the 2023 training camp. He did not make the roster, but was on the practice squad during the season. After he was brought back this year, he was placed on the practice squad again but activated just a few weeks ago.

With the injuries to not just Bland but also Caelen Carson and Jourdan Lewis, Butler has seen a lot of action in his first two NFL games. When the team announced Diggs was out, he proved this past Sunday he can play in the NFL. HIs performance showed Dallas might have another solid depth piece in the secondary.

While Dallas has arguably one of the best cornerback tandems in Diggs and Bland, this team needs to find those third and fourth corners who can cover outside of the slot position Lewis holds down. Right now Butler has looked better than Carson and is pleading his case to remain on this team in 2025. His stock other than Turpin's is rising the most out of everyone who was on that field this past Sunday.

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