Cowboys have 7th player named to Pro Bowl as NFC replacement
KaVontae Turpin isn't going to San Francisco as part of the Super Bowl-bound roster of this year's conference champions, but he'll be there nonetheless, taking the spot of someone who is.
Turpin, the Cowboys ' primary kick returner since 2022, has been named to the NFC's Pro Bowl Games roster as a replacement for Rashid Shaheed . Shaheed is one of six Seahawks players who will bow out after Seattle won a Super Bowl berth on Sunday.
Turpin led the NFL in kickoff return yards in 2025, with 1,814 over 15 games played. The gaudy yardage total, though, means the Cowboys were being kicked to a lot; Turpin's 69 kick returns were also a league high, a result of the Dallas defense giving up an obscene number of scoring drives to opponents.
Despite a résumé that comes with two prior Pro Bowl nods, the 29-year-old return ace had a statistically down year. Turpin's per-return average of 26.3 yards on the season wasn't even Top-25 among qualified players and was a full 3.5 yards below Shaheed's average.
Chicago 's Devin Duvernay , San Francisco's Skyy Moore , and Detroit 's Jacob Saylors each had more than 30 returns, more than 850 return yards, and return averages higher than Turpin's. That it is the high-profile Cowboys star who nevertheless gets the Pro Bowl trip will do little to tamp down the belief held by many observers that the Pro Bowl has become merely a popularity contest.
There was similar backlash after Turpin's announcement as a second-team All-Pro this season.
Also worth noting is that, with the Pro Bowl Games featuring skills competitions and a flag football match instead of a real football game, Turpin's blistering speed will likely be put to use in other, more creative ways by the NFC. Turpin was the star of last year's flag exhibition by coming in on defense , sacking Joe Burrow on a two-point try, bagging Russell Wilson for a nine-yard loss later in the game, and saving a touchdown by chasing down Brian Thomas Jr. just before the goal line.
Turpin is now the seventh Cowboys player to make this year's Pro Bowl squad, joining Dak Prescott , George Pickens , Tyler Smith , Quinnen Williams , Brandon Aubrey , and fellow replacement Jake Ferguson.
Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7 . Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys' KaVontae Turpin named to Pro Bowl as NFC replacement
