JalenTolbert

Nathan Jahnke·Oct 9

The Cowboys try to get KaVontae Turpin involved: Turpin posted a season-high snap rate, particularly in the first half.

Turpin has flirted with the third wide receiver spot in Dallas in recent seasons, particularly when he was competing with Jalen Tolbert. However, Ryan Flournoy won the job last season, leaving Turpin as a clear backup. Jonathan Mingo has played more snaps than Turpin over the first four weeks, leaving Turpin fifth on the depth chart. This week, Turpin received eight snaps in the first half alone, taking snaps away from both CeeDee Lamb and Flournoy. In that time, he caught one pass for seven yards on three targets. The Cowboys were behind multiple scores throughout the second half. This left Dallas rotating much less than usual. Javonte Williams, George Pickens and Jake Ferguson reached season highs in snap rate, and the only reason Lamb and Flournoy didn’t also achieve season highs was because of Turpin’s first-half usage. Turpin was able to haul in a 15-yard reception in the fourth quarter to help his stat total. It will be worth monitoring if this was part of this game plan, or if Dallas plans to have Turpin play more frequently going forward.

Sep 28

Miami started the season with Douglas and Malik Washington as its top two receivers, with both playing above 85% of snaps. Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman Jr. have been the backups, splitting time in 11 personnel. Douglas and Bell are best suited to play X, while Washington and Coleman are optimal for the slot, which has led to many different combinations of where the receivers have lined up. Douglas suffered an ankle injury last week, leading him to be inactive for this game. This allowed veteran Jalen Tolbert to be active for the first time this season. Bell and Coleman were more consistently on the field in 11 personnel, as they and Washington all played over 86% of snaps in that personnel grouping. Washington remained one of the primary receivers in 12 personnel, with Bell also taking a majority of snaps.