FRISCO, Texas – CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens starting working out together during Pickens' pre-draft process in Atlanta following Lamb's second year in the NFL. They've trained together in the offseason since and now get to do so every day as teammates on the Cowboys.
"Giving him the little things that I learned as far as my first year in the league and just passing him what I could while I could," Lamb said of their first interactions "It's crazy how these come full circle, having him on the team now, we're catching up on everything that we left off."
The catching up began with the Cowboys' OTAs that began on Monday, as Pickens hit the practice field for the first time with his new teammates. The reaction to his trade from the Steelers is behind him, and he's focused on what's ahead.
"Everything is kind of a business… So I wasn't really too shocked or too excited," Pickens said of his reaction to the trade. "I was just ready to work."
Lamb and Pickens have already spent a lot of time together and are working to build their relationship further, from participating in Cardinals QB Kyler Murray's charity softball event to working off to the side with WRs coach Junior Adams in practice. It's all the building blocks for what they both hope will build into a duo that plays well off one another.
"We compliment each other very well," Lamb said. "He's a tall figure, his ability to go up and get the ball at the highest point is amazing… He's up there with the [best] guys in the league as far as 50/50 balls, deep threat, anything as far as running routes, it's pretty good. It's good to see."
Lamb is now the longest tenured wide receiver on the roster in terms of time spent with the Cowboys, but he's still looking to learn from players like Pickens just like he did from Amari Cooper earlier on in his career.
"I'm watching him every rep that he is in if I'm not, and on film when I get done if I am in, I'm going to go watch it after that. So just studying the game, I'm a student at a game, I love it, I enjoy it, really everybody in the room but GP in particular, he's a talent."
Conversely, Pickens wants to take what Lamb specializes in and add it to his arsenal.
"Just intermediate stuff," Pickens said. "He's got great feet, so stepping in certain places, he steps in place a lot, which means he can get to where he's going fast in a short space and he's tall. A lot of people don't know he's kind of tall."
As Pickens get to learn more up close from Lamb, he's also getting up to speed on the Cowboys' play book. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer made a point to praise Pickens' efforts in the team meeting rooms to learn as much as he could as quick as he could, and the good news is Pickens has seen a lot of the same things before and is not alone in the learning process.
"I'm kind of learning plays right now. Offensively, plays are universal all across the league," Pickens said. "So just keep working, and then like I said, we got a lot of rookie guys here too, so everybody's trying to [learn]… It's a collective thing."
As the new look Cowboys head towards the 2025 season, Pickens has a lot to prove going into the final year of his rookie contract. It's not just on the field, as there have been concerns about Pickens' maturity and culture fit.
The Cowboys did their own research on Pickens and felt he could be a fit, and so far have had nothing but glowing reports about how his addition in the early goings, including from Lamb.
"I knew who he was as a player, obviously just watching him with the Steelers and how passionate he is about the game, I think they kind of get it confused once you're so passionate about something you're willing to do anything for," Lamb said.
"As far as winning goes, and I mean just being happy in an organization, not saying he wasn't, not saying that he was, but I mean you never know. He hasn't stopped smiling since he got here, so I'll start with that."
Pickens has heard the noise but isn't concerned with any outside narratives and wants to do what he's been trying do since the start: Get to work.
"I'm actually, like, a chill guy," Pickens said. "There's a big phase of a tornado that's not even true. I'm a chill guy and I just love to work…"
"Just staying humble. That's kind of what I always did. So even when the story was what the story was, I always just kept working, staying humble."
Lamb and Pickens will now get to work on writing the story of their time together, in the hopes that their complimenting play styles can lead to more wins for the Cowboys starting in 2025.
"If he's tired, I can guarantee you I'm not," Lamb said. "So just being his backbone and being here for him and letting him know that he got some help on the other side, for sure that's a dog and that's willing to win, and I'm going to do everything in my power to do that."
