George Pickens could be stellar for Dallas Cowboys. He could also be a disaster | Opinion
You got to give the Dallas Cowboys credit.
After a recent history of neglecting glaring needs started to build an identity around how Jerry Jones and his front office constituents go about constructing their roster, they went out and addressed their biggest need with a splash move in acquiring wide receiver George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pickens is an elite talent that has proven to be a No. 1 option for the Steelers in his first three seasons in the league. He’s a physical outside presence that can run a full route tree with above average speed to separate from defenders downfield. In the red zone, he provides a physical skill set that will finally give Dallas a dependable big target. He will immediately step in and fill a role that has been desperately needed in the Cowboys receiving core since the departure of Dez Bryant in 2017.
However, much like Bryant’s eight years in Dallas, you’ll get a lot more than the on-field production with Pickens. You’ll get sizable concerns about what kind of presence he will bring off the field, too.
During his time in Pittsburgh, Pickens slowly developed a rocky relationship with his coaching staff, according to a Star-Telegram league source. Habitually late to meetings and even late to multiple games over his three seasons in the league, a rift began to grow between the team and its star receiver over the last 12 months. It was headed for a crossroads this offseason where Pickens was expected to command a contract worth close to $30 million per year as he prepares to head into the final season of his rookie deal in 2025.
Instead of dealing with the potential headache of a contractual disagreement, the Steelers shopped him around to multiple teams and decided to move him to Dallas for future draft capital, effectively making it the Cowboys’ problem to manage.
On the Cowboys’ side, they made their intentions clear in the trade market as far back as early April that they wanted an impact wide receiver. While Dallas and Pittsburgh did have conversations about Pickens as recently as draft weekend, according to a Star-Telegram source, the Cowboys continued to feel out other trade options at wide receiver. Obviously, those options did not come to fruition and Pickens is now headed to Dallas.
First on the agenda for the Cowboys is ensuring that they are inheriting a player that’s ready to get to work when the team begins offseason team activities (OTAs) on May 19, not inheriting a contractual problem. Will the Cowboys go ahead and extend a player that hasn’t played one snap for them? Or can Pickens be talked into playing out his contract season on a one-year tryout basis unlike his rumored plans in Pittsburgh?
Then, the next task, and arguably most challenging, will be keeping Pickens in line. Dallas managed similar issues with Bryant during his tenure with the team when it came to timeliness and locker room dust-ups with teammates. And for a head coach in Brian Schottenheimer that has routinely mentioned how he wants an elite culture in his locker room, a walking red flag just entered the building in the form of Pickens.
Worst case scenario, his history in Pittsburgh is only the tip of the iceberg and everything Schottenheimer and his staff worked tirelessly to build this offseason will go down the drain with just one bad apple. History tells us that once Pittsburgh moved on from another problematic presence in Antonio Brown in 2018 that there was a lot more going on than what the Steelers showed on the surface.
Best case scenario, Pickens adjusts, probably still has his bumps along the way, but fits in and becomes a dynamic offensive weapon that truly could be the missing piece to maximizing Dak Prescott’s remaining tenure in Dallas. His skill set matches perfectly for what the Cowboys are missing offensively, and it could have a huge impact on the effectiveness of all 11 players on offense.
Regardless, it’s going to be a show. Jerry Jones is a known showman, after all. And now, he has one of his most polarizing show ponies to date galloping into Dallas.
It could go wonderfully. It could also be a dumpster fire.
This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 6:19 AM.
