Cowboys’ Dak Prescott on George Pickens ahead of camp: ‘That guy is ready’
As the Dallas Cowboys took part in their mandatory minicamp last week at The Star in Frisco, one notable presence was wide receiver George Pickens.
After not being present for voluntary activities throughout the offseason, Pickens avoided a contract holdout situation and reported to The Star for the first time since the conclusion of the 2025 season.
For quarterback Dak Prescott, it was a welcome sight. As he enters his 11th year in the NFL, he does so on the heels of a productive 2025 season that saw him excel with premier wide receivers Pickens and CeeDee Lamb.
From the moment Pickens walked through the door, Prescott knew they would be able to pick up where they left off.
“It’s great,” Prescott said. “George being here, you feel his energy, you feel his presence. It’s in the locker room. Obviously, it’s out there on the football field and just to get back in sync throwing, everything felt good. He looks great. I know he’s going to be ready for [training] camp, and the excitement, you can feel it.”
Pickens’ arrival was left in question after the team placed the franchise tag on him in March and told him in April that he would not receive a long-term contract. It’s a situation that Prescott is all too familiar with, as he was twice franchise-tagged by the team and has gone through multiple contract disputes with the Cowboys’ front office.
“Him being away from the game I’m sure was hard,” Prescott said. “Being somewhat in that position years ago, you want to be there with your brothers. You want to be there with the people that you’ve committed the time to, you’re making the sacrifices. The guy is getting still a nice check.”
Prescott spent time with Pickens away from the facility this offseason throwing routes on air to keep the on-field chemistry flowing. For him, there was no doubt that he would be able to continue that at The Star in due time.
“I think I said this a while back,” he said. “Knowing there was a potential he was going to go on the tag, there was no doubt in my mind that the guy wouldn’t be ready, that he wouldn’t show up, that he wouldn’t do everything that we asked him to, and he’s going to do that.”
Speaking at minicamp, Pickens said that he intends to show up to training camp in late July and not hold out. As it is laid out, it appears Pickens will play on the franchise tag in 2026 with no fight.
“That guy makes it easy,” Prescott said. “You see us just in routes on air out there, but you just go turn on the tape, that guy is going to get separation. He’s just different. He understands his leverage. He understands his routes. He understands where I’m looking for him at the catch point, the depth. So, yeah that’s going to be a beneficial time [at training camp]. It’s going to be great, but we can go throw a lot of touchdowns right now. That guy is ready.”
This story was originally published June 23, 2026 at 10:19 AM.
