Schottenheimer Addresses Cowboys Pro Bowler’s Off Field Issues

As an NFL head coach — especially a first time one — the kind of questions being tossed at Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer as his team opens training camp are ones you absolutely dread.

One of your star players — an NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowler — gets arrested right before the season starts. Now you have to talk about it.

That was the reality for Schottenheimer as the Cowboys opened training camp and he found himself talking about wide receiver/return specialist Kavontae Turpin’s arrest for marijuana possession and weapons charges on July 6 in Texas.

“I spoke to (Turpin),” Schottenheimer said. “He talked through a lot of things. He understands that there is a standard with how we conduct ourselves. He knows that he needs to be better, but we won’t get into all of the specifics.”

So far, there has been no word on the possible punishment for Turpin, from the Cowboys or from the NFL.

Offseason of Bad Headlines for Cowboys

The Cowboys have generated more bad headlines than you can shake a stick at this offseason — from their heavily dissected trade for mercurial Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens to the ongoing, contentious contract negotiations with All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons.

When you’re the NFL’s most high profile — and most valuable — team that’s probably to be expected coming off a 7-10 season in 2024 in which 2 other teams in the NFC East rose to the top of the NFL, with the rival Philadelphia Eagles winning their second Super Bowl in the last decade and the Washington Commanders making the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.

Turpin’s arrest was an unnecessary headache in an offseason that’s been full of them.

“Turpin, 28, was booked and charged initially with two misdemeanors: possession of marijuana (less than two ounces) and unlawful carrying of a weapon,”  The Dallas Morning News Joseph Hoyt wrote on July 6. ” … Turpin has had off-the-field issues before. He starred at TCU, but was kicked off the team after he was arrested on assault charges. He later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation and ordered to attend an abuse intervention program.”

Turpin Seemed on Verge of Expanding Role

Through the first 3 seasons of his NFL career, Turpin is already a 2-time Pro Bowler and earned NFL All-Pro honors in 2024 after he led the league in kickoff return yards.

The Cowboys rewarded Turpin with a 3-year, $13.5 million contract extension on March 11 — an unbelievable bounty for a player who went undrafted out of TCU in 2019 and spent his first 3 seasons bouncing around various professional leagues, including winning USFL MVP honors in 2022 with the New Jersey Generals.

“I feel like Turpin will be used more as a playmaker than a receiver this year, which is better suited for who he is,” The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf wrote on June 19. “This offseason, we’ve seen Turpin carry the ball out of the backfield and run quick routes close to the line of scrimmage that enable him to get the ball in space. There was some of that last year, but last year also featured some deep balls in third-and-10 situations that aren’t what Turpin is built for. With (CeeDee) Lamb and (George) Pickens handling their business, the underneath should open up more for Turpin.”