Cowboys vs Commanders: 2 players Dallas should use more moving forward

The focus throughout the rest of this season has to be on 2025 and beyond.

Change has been a constant for the 2024 Dallas Cowboys. Poor player performance and numerous injuries on both sides of the ball have caused Dallas to mix things up on a consistent basis this season.

As the Cowboys play out their final seven games of the regular season, more changes are to be expected as Dallas shifts their focus from winning this year to the future. With that in mind, we take a look at two players the Cowboys should use more moving forward.

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1) WR Kavontae Turpin

It’s been tough sledding for the Cowboys offense this season. Things have gotten even worse since Dak Prescott’s injury, and recently Dallas has looked like one of the worst offensive units in all of football.

Dallas moved the ball a bit better in Monday’s loss to the Texans, but they still struggled to find a good offensive balance and take care of the football. There weren’t many positives on offense, but one good thing to come out of the game was KaVontae Turpin making Dallas’ best offensive play in weeks.

With Dallas down 14-0 at the start of the second quarter, Turpin scored Dallas’ second-longest offensive touchdown of the season, taking a quick slant pass 64 yards for a touchdown.

During his touchdown reception, Turpin reached a top speed of 22.36 mph, the fastest speed by any ball carrier in the NFL this season.

In the coming weeks, the Cowboys need to give Turpin more opportunities on offense to see if he can make an impact as a wide receiver. The 28-year-old is a restricted free agent at season’s end and with all the holes elsewhere on Dallas’ roster, it may be hard to pay the price it would cost to retain him if you only believe he’s capable of being a kick/punt returner and a fifth or sixth option at receiver.

Turpin showed that he was capable of using his game-changing speed on offense. Now it’s up to the Cowboys to find creative ways to use his best asset more consistently.

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2) CB/S Israel Mukuamu

With starting slot cornerback Jourdan Lewis out on Monday night, the Cowboys turned to 24-year-old Israel Mukuamu to take his place. During his time in Dallas, Mukuamu has been a bit of a Swiss army knife player on defense, but Monday was a big opportunity for him to show he’s capable of contributing in a bigger way.

While Mukuamu did get beat badly by Texans’ wideout Nico Collins once, he showed some positive signs throughout the game. One of Mukuamu’s best traits is his ability to use his 6’4 frame to get physical with receivers at the line of scrimmage, and he showed that on Monday.

On the night Mukuamu allowed three receptions for 52 yards with 33 of those coming on the long reception by Collins. Mukuamu’s 38 defensive snaps were the most he has played this season and it may be a sign of things to come moving forward.

While Jourdan Lewis has been outstanding this season, it’s hard to envision him being back with the Cowboys after this season. Dallas has so many holes on their roster and with the way Lewis has played this year, it’s almost a guarantee some team will offer him more years and money than the Cowboys are willing and able to.

If that is the case, Dallas will need to sign or elevate someone from their current roster to become their starting slot cornerback. While Mukuamu is also a free agent to be, he is significantly younger and Dallas could likely retain him for half of what it would cost to bring Lewis back.

In the Cowboys’ final seven games of the season, they’ll need to see if Israel Mukuamu is a legitimate option as their starting slot corner next year.