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KaVontae Turpin returns a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns in first half

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Peter King sits down with Dak Prescott to talk about his road to Dallas, how hardship has left him stronger and wiser and why he's so optimistic ahead of a huge year for the Cowboys.

KaVontae Turpin showed why he was the USFL MVP this spring. If there was any doubt about his spot on the Cowboys’ roster before Saturday night, Turpin answered it during the first half against the Chargers.

Turpin returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter following a Chargers’ field goal. He added an 86-yard punt return for a touchdown 52 seconds before halftime.

Turpin also had a run for 7 yards, and the Cowboys lead the Chargers 29-10 at halftime.

Turpin played for the New Jersey Generals in the USFL. He caught 44 passes for league-leading 540 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games, while rushing for 129 yards and a touchdown. He also had 184 punt return yards and was the only player in the league to score a touchdown on a kick return, going 71 yards against Michigan in Week 9.

He remained an NFL free agent until July 28, two days into the Cowboys’ training camp.

Turpin will take punt return duties from No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb and kickoff return duties from backup running back Tony Pollard. Both Lamb and Pollard are expected to play big roles on offense.

Turpin spent three seasons with TCU, becoming the top returner in program history with four punt return touchdowns and two on kickoffs. He also contributed 13 receiving touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. Turpin was kicked off the TCU program in 2018 for two domestic violence charges.