George Pickens reportedly impressed his new Dallas Cowboys teammates and coaches throughout springtime workouts after they acquired the mercurial wide receiver from the Pittsburgh Steelers in May.
For an article published on Tuesday, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN shared why some around the league view the Cowboys’ decision to take a flier on Pickens as one of the best moves made by a franchise this offseason.
“He’ll be a big piece there,” one unnamed AFC personnel man said about Pickens featuring for a Cowboys team that has CeeDee Lamb as its No. 1 receiver. “When [Pickens is] covered, he’s really open. I know the concerns are there, but I think having an already established passing game with veterans to help him along, and the fact he’s in a contract year, will help keep him in line. If you can tap into what he can do fully, his major ability will shine through.”
The Cowboys sent the Steelers a 2026 third-round draft pick and a 2027 fifth-round selection for Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round choice. It appears that both Pickens and Dallas agree that the two sides won’t seriously discuss a potential contract extension until after the upcoming season concludes.
Some Steelers personnel reportedly grew “fed up with” Pickens after the 2022 second-round pick was allegedly guilty of a “litany of violations,” including showing up late for practices and at least one game during his Pittsburgh tenure. Fowler mentioned that the Steelers made the evaluation that Pickens and veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers “probably would not hit it off.” Rodgers accepted a team-friendly contract to join the Steelers in early June.
Pickens developed a reputation for growing frustrated over a lack of targets during games. Still, first-year Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer is confident that Lamb and Pickens will do whatever is needed to help Dallas notch wins later this year.
“Dealing with CeeDee and [Pickens] opens things up for them,” one NFC East coach said about the Cowboys having a dynamic one-two punch as part of their passing attack while speaking with Fowler.
The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen also wrote on Tuesday that Pickens is “a deep-ball winner” who “excels at winning inside and in the intermediate parts of the field” and who “perfectly complements Lamb.”
The Cowboys’ acquisition of Pickens could go down as one of the best NFL transactions of the spring if he remains fully dedicated to the cause as quarterback Dak Prescott works to keep his top targets happy throughout the upcoming season.
