During the time away from the facility, head coach Brian Schottenheimer was still able to catch up with multiple players about the team’s loss, including wide receiver George Pickens.
Pickens, who finished the loss with five receptions for 37 yards, was put under a spotlight by former three-time All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman following the game for issues related to his effort. Pickens responded with a since-deleted spirited social media post that Schottenheimer said on Friday he would speak to his receiver about. He got the opportunity to do so over the weekend.
“I think George just loves football,” Schottenheimer said Monday. “He loves playing football. It’s a place like most of these guys where they get to just be their true selves. I know he’s great in practice, and he’s great in the games because he loves it.”
A non-answer? No doubt. But when asked if the conversation he had with Pickens had anything to do with his effort in the game, there was more substance to his rebuttal.
“We talked a little bit about it,” he said. “In his words, he said, ‘Hey Schotty, I didn’t play my best game.’ I think that, unfortunately, none of us played our best game. But again, I don’t worry about George and his love for football and playing this game. You know, for five or six weeks, he was the talk of the sporting world. ‘Look at George Pickens.’ We didn’t coach or play well enough to win that game in Detroit. They beat us. It is what it is.”
Schottenheimer has expressed multiple times since the conclusion of Thursday’s game that he doesn’t have any concerns with Pickens’ effort in the game, and that the team plans to move forward from the loss.
Pickens has had a career season in his first year with the Cowboys. His 1,179 receiving yards are third in the NFL, his 78 receptions rank seventh, and his eight receiving touchdowns are tied for the fifth.
With his rookie contract expiring in the offseason, the Cowboys could be set to pay Pickens north of $30 million per season if they choose to retain his services. All indications from owner Jerry Jones have shown that they are prepared to do just that.
“He brings energy to the team even when he’s not making some of those great receptions,” Jones said. “Bottom line, it’s working, and it’s precious to have it here right at this time with what we’re trying to do with [quarterback Dak Prescott] and how we’re trying to maximize having him.”
Game schedule dates, times, locations
NEXT UP: Game dates, times, locations, channel
Rangers ▶
April 21 Rangers 5, Pittsburgh 1
April 22 Pittsburgh 8, Rangers 4
April 23 Rangers 6, Pittsburgh 1
April 24 Athletics 8, Rangers 1
April 25 Rangers 4, Athletics 3
April 26 Athletics 2, Rangers 1
April 27 N.Y. Yankees 4, Rangers 2
April 28 N.Y. Yankees 3, Rangers 2
April 29 vs. N.Y. Yankees, 1:35 p.m., RSN
May 1 at Detroit, 5:40 p.m., RSN
May 2 at Detroit, 6:15 p.m., Fox
May 3 at Detroit, 6:20 p.m., NBCSN, Peacock
TCU Baseball ▶
April 17 Baylor 11, TCU 4
April 19 TCU 5, Baylor 4 (doubleheader)
April 19 TCU 10, Baylor 2 (doubleheader)
April 21 TCU 6, Dallas Baptist 5 (10 innings)
April 24 TCU 8, Houston 3
April 25 TCU 4, Houston 2
April 26 TCU 14, Houston 2 (7 innings)
April 29 vs. UT Arlington, 6 p.m., ESPN+
May 1 at Oklahoma State, 6 p.m., ESPN+
May 2 at Oklahoma State, 6 p.m., ESPN+
May 3 at Oklahoma State, 1 p.m., ESPN+
Stars ▶
First-round playoff series (Wild lead 3-2)
Game 1: April 18 Minnesota 6, Stars 1
Game 2: April 20 Stars 4, Minnesota 2
Game 3: April 22 Stars 4, Minnesota 3 (2OT)
Game 4: April 25 Minnesota 3, Stars 2 (OT)
Game 5: April 28 Minnesota 4, Stars 2
Game 6: April 30 at Minnesota, 6:30 p.m., TNT, truTV, HBO Max, Victory+
Game 7 (if necessary): May 2 vs. Minnesota, TBA
Wings▶
April 30 at Indiana (preseason), 6 p.m., Ion
May 3 vs. Las Vegas (at Austin) (preseason), 6 p.m., Ion
May 9 at Indiana, noon, ABC
May 12 vs. Atlanta, 7 p.m., KFAA
May 14 vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m., Amazon Prime Video
TCU Football ▶
2026 season
Aug. 29 vs. North Carolina (at Dublin), TBA
Sept. 12 vs. Grambling State, TBA
Sept. 19 vs. Arkansas State, TBA
Sept. 26 at Central Florida, TBA
Oct. 3 vs. BYU, TBA
Oct. 17 at Baylor, TBA
Oct. 24 vs. West Virginia, TBA
Oct. 31 vs. Kansas, TBA
Nov. 6 at Arizona, TBA
Nov. 14 vs. Kansas State, TBA
Nov. 21 vs. Utah, TBA
Nov. 26 at Texas Tech, TBA
Cowboys ▶
2026 season
Sept. 27 vs. Baltimore (at Rio de Janeiro), 3:25 p.m.
2026 opponents (dates and times TBA; one home game will be in Rio)
vs. N.Y Giants
vs. Philadelphia
vs. Washington
vs. Arizona
vs. San Francisco
vs. Tampa Bay
vs. Jacksonville
vs. Tennessee
vs. Baltimore
at N.Y Giants
at Philadelphia
at Washington
at L.A. Rams
at Seattle
at Green Bay
at Houston
at Indianapolis
FC Dallas ▶
March 21 FC Dallas 4, Houston 3
April 4 FC Dallas 4, D.C. United 0
April 11 FC Dallas 1, St. Louis 1
April 18 FC Dallas 2, LA Galaxy 2
April 22 Minnesota 1, FC Dallas 0
April 25 at Seattle, 9:30 p.m., Apple TV
May 2 at NY Red Bulls, 6:30 p.m., Apple TV
May 9 vs. Salt Lake, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV
May 13 vs. Vancouver, 7:30 p.m., Apple TV
May 16 at San Jose, 9:30 p.m., Apple TV
Texas Motor Speedway ▶
April 23-25 Pate Swap Meet
April 25 FuelFest
April 30-May 2 High Limit Racing Stockyard Stampede
May 1 NASCAR Truck Series: SpeedyCash.com 250
May 2 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series: Andy's Frozen Custard 340
Nick Harris is the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has experience working on the beat for DallasCowboys.com and previous work experience at Yahoo Sports/Rivals and 247Sports.
