IRVING, Texas – It's entirely possible that Robert Turbin's opportunity could be coming right away.
A mere 24 hours after he arrived at Valley Ranch on Wednesday, Turbin is already turning heads with what he's been able to pick up in the Cowboys' offense. Perhaps most important of all is the guy who'll be calling plays on Sunday, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.
"He has made a great impression," Linehan said. "This guy is a veteran. He's played. He can make that transformation because of that veteran-ism to flip what they call protection – he's been in a couple places now – to what we do."
Couple that with the fact that a groin injury limited Darren McFadden during Thursday's practice, and it's not hard to imagine Turbin getting playing time this weekend against the Dolphins. That's not just idle talk, either, considering Linehan's response to that same question.
"I would not put it past him being up this week though. I've seen enough so far," he said. "We'll see. We'll make that decision Saturday. He'd be a guy we could certainly lean on if we call his number, even in this short period of time."
If Turbin does in fact play a role – regardless of McFadden's status – it'd certainly be a departure from the norm for this offense. It took Christine Michael a month to earn any kind of role on game day, and even then it was limited at best.
The same can be said for rookie running backs Rod Smith and Trey Williams. Smith has played just 10 snaps since the Cowboys signed him during the bye week, and Williams has been inactive for both games since he joined from Washington's practice squad.
On the other end of the spectrum, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett was impressed by what Turbin was able to do, literally the minute he arrived at the team facility on Wednesday.
"He got up early and landed here and literally went right into a meeting and on the practice field, and I thought he handled the work really well," Garrett said.
That should create some interesting conversations this weekend when the coaches decide their seven inactives. It seems unrealistic to think the Cowboys will use four running backs, so there's a good chance that only two of the three backs behind McFadden will suit up for the game.
Even if it might buck the trend, don't be surprised if Turbin is one of them.
"What I have seen – it's been 24 hours, two practices – real impressed," Linehan said. "I think he is going to be a really good addition for our team."
