FRISCO, Texas — Well, Dallas, what do you wanna talk about? The sound that woke you this morning, as a fan of the Cowboys, was dynamite detonating overnight in Dallas, as what can easily be viewed as the biggest trade made by the organization in a half-decade brings George Pickens from the Steel City to the Metroplex.
Pickens becomes the fourth trade of the Cowboys' offseason to begin the Brian Schottenheimer era — one Dallas has been working on landing for weeks, and ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, joining quarterback Joe Milton, linebacker Kenneth Murray and cornerback Kaiir Elam, but the expectations that are instantly heaped upon his shoulders are, far and away, the biggest.
He will be tasked with not trying to earn a roster spot or reps, but to be the definitive complement to All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb who is arguably the best in the NFL at his position.
Is Pickens ready for this type of spotlight?
And what does he bring to the Cowboys, exactly??
Brian Schottenheimer, the team's new head coach and offensive playcaller who has already overseen the construction of what appears, on paper, to be one of the most impressive coaching staffs in the NFL and a revamped approach to building the roster, believes so.
Lemme talk to ya.
This deal serves as the first trade between the two teams in more than 30 years, and involves the Cowboys sending their 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick to Pittsburgh in exchange for Pickens and a 2027 seventh-round pick, and it's a move the also has Lamb wearing a very sizable grin — if his social media post is any indication — that allows you to count all 32 of his pearly whites.
Pickens joins rare air as one of the select few players from the University of Georgia (also a key contributor in their national championship win in 2021) to put on a Cowboys' jersey this century, for what it's worth, and it's his film in Athens that led him to become the Steelers' second-round pick in 2022; and it was there he'd show the entire football world exactly what Kirby Smart saw in him.
One look at his highlight reel in a Steelers' uniform and you'll get the picture, and quickly, like a Polaroid in 1995.
Wasn't that the last season the Cowboys won a… nevermind.
Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing in just over 200 lbs., Pickens comes equipped with not only an above-average wingspan and arm length, but also some of the best hands and centerfielder tracking in the sport. And, despite Pickens' size, it's also key to note he's a mid-4.4s 40-yard dash guy, and that means he can outrun a hefty chunk of defensive backs in addition to his ability to high point catches in ways you've often only seen from Hall of Fame receivers like Randy Moss and others who made a career out of making carnival catches.
This could make for a devastating combo attack for Schottenheimer and All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott, making the team's decision to forego using a draft pick at the position yesterday's news — considering the selection of offensive guard Tyler Booker with the first-round pick now also provides added protection for Prescott to throw the ball to Lamb, Pickens and Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson.
In the end, they still got a ... Pick.
OK, that was a reach, but it felt right in my head, so moving on.
Those names being the top three targets heading into the 2025 season, there are others that are penciled in for the battle at WR3, e.g., Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, Jonathan Mingo and KaVontae Turpin,, as it is now that role that becomes a highly debated topic going forward; and especially given the fact there are a total of 13 receivers on the roster following the trade for Pickens.
Something's gotta give within the bottom two-thirds of that depth chart, and Turpin just received a multi-year contract extension to, well, make things that much more interesting for everyone else below the Big Two.
What Pickens will join Lamb in giving, mind you, is fits to defensive backfields for at least the season to come, and the Cowboys will need to then make a decision on if they'll offer him a contract extension beyond 2025, only two years after making Lamb one of the highest-paid receivers in football history.
As it stands, entering the final year of his rookie contract, Pickens is set to deduct only $3.6 million in cap space from the nearly $38 million the Cowboys currently have in their pocket and, as a former second-round pick, there is no fifth-year option to consider on his existing deal.
This is Pickens' final chance to cement his first huge payday in the NFL, be it in Dallas or elsewhere, and that adds an added layer of motivation to not only make a massive impact on the field over the next several months, but to also, potentially, grow into the consummate professional and, if he does break the bank in another city in 2026, the Cowboys could very well earn back their 2026 third-round pick — or an extra fourth-rounder — as a compensatory one (ah, finesse).
That brings me to his biggest opportunity for improvement: maturity.
This is the red flag that plagued him under Kirby Smart at the University of Georgia, and he's made headlines in Pittsburgh at times as head coach Mike Tomlin was made to answer questions about his mindset in times when things weren't necessarily going his way regarding his number targets over certain stretches of time.
Schottenheimer's edict regarding a culture shift in the Cowboys' locker room will be tested by the fiery personality of Pickens, an elite talent who could benefit from the leadership of Prescott, Lamb and Micah Parsons, three players who, without question, have the reins in Dallas.
To his credit, Pickens has been available for 48 games in his first three NFL seasons and, in the process, racked up 2,841 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging an eye-opening 16.3 yards per catch (higher than Lamb's career average) and delivering a total of 117 first downs.
A heralded deep threat and possession receiver, if you ever saw one.
This is the kind of firepower being added to the Cowboys' roster, and as long as Pickens understands his role as Robin to Batman in Dallas, it could be a long fight for The Joker in Philadelphia, or The Riddler in Washington, or even the Condiment King (if you know, you know) in New York.
There's plenty of Nightwing in Pickens though, for better or for worse, and he'll simply need to channel as much of that as possible without letting it interfere with the mission ahead.
Time will tell how it all shakes out, but if things go to plan, trading for Pickens could begin invoking thoughts of Alvin Harper and Michael Irvin, and what a time that was to be alive … assuming you were.
