3 Cowboys who are already turning heads at training camp
- A defender on the roster bubble is performing well
- Are two new weapons for Dak Prescott emerging?
By Jerry Trotta
Even with Donovan Wilson sidelined with a calf strain, Zack Martin holding out over his contract, and Israel Mukuamu nursing a hamstring injury, the vibes at Dallas Cowboys training camp in Oxnard have been overwhelmingly positive.
It's impossible to gauge what the coaching staff is thinking in terms of the 53-man roster, but a handful of players have made a strong case to make the team.
That said, there's still multiple weeks left of training camp -- including three preseason games -- meaning there's plenty of time for players to slide up and down the depth chart. With that in mind, here are three Cowboys who have surprisingly stolen the spotlight in Oxnard thus far.
3. KaVontae Turpin, KR/WR
Turpin was late to report to training camp following the birth of his daughter. Whatever it is about athletes and performing at high level after the birth of a child, Turpin is absolutely one of them because he played at a different speed to close out the first week of camp.
As a USFL signing last year, Turpin didn't get to participate in OTAs and minicamp, so his understanding of the offense was lacking.
This year's a different story. Turpin's developing a strong grasp of the playbook and is earning the trust of Dak Prescott, who listed Turpin by name before any other Cowboys receiver to NFL Network when talking about getting the ball out of his hands quicker to his playmakers.
Turpin's speed and devastating cuts have been the talk of camp. It'll be interesting to see how he performs as a WR when the pads come on, but the 26-year-old is making a strong case to earn a spot as a situational pass-catcher on top of being the team's lead return specialist.