Cowboys coach says what many are missing about George Pickens, and it could harm Dallas down the road
George Pickens’ elite football isn’t what the Dallas Cowboys were hoping for.
Earlier in the week, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones admitted George Pickens has done more than the team could’ve hoped for six weeks into the 2025 NFL season. And if you’re mistaking his words for the typical Jerry sales pitch, think again.
Even the Cowboys coaching staff is admitting it. Lost in Pickens’ top-tier football this season is the fact that this isn’t what Dallas was expecting. The front office gave up a third-round draft pick to land a WR2 that complemented CeeDee Lamb and allowed the star of the offense to get open more consistently. What many are missing is this isn’t it. What Pickens is doing—as evidenced by two 130+ yard performances in three weeks—is playing elite football at wide receiver.
It starts with the fact that Pickens is running more and better routes than what he did at Pittsburgh. Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams talked about Pickens’ newfound range.
Pickens is playing like a complete wide receiver, not just a prototypical X
“He does have more range than we anticipated. Because of his body type, there are certain things he naturally does better, like the typical X route tree,” Adams told reporters. “But he’s also a lot better with the ball in his hands after the catch than some guys who play his position or have his frame. So yeah, he’s definitely shown us a little more range in that way.”
Pickens ranks seventh in the NFL in yards after catch and 21st in a per catch basis, per PFF. While that doesn’t seem like very high, Pickens’ average depth of target is higher than 16 of the players who rank above. He also has more targets than any of the 20 players above him. Pickens ranked 56th in the same stat last year.
Not only is Pickens doing more after the catch but in his big game in Carolina, he showed he can move around and be effective from the slot. Two of his nine catches were big third down conversions in which he worked from the slot.
“We were early on a little bit more cautious about moving him around because we wanted him to be confident and comfortable,” Adams said. “And there were just some times the last couple of weeks when we put him in a situation, we were a little bit concerned about it. And we went, ‘He didn’t seem like that bothered him very much.’ So I think, just maybe that he has a little bit more flexibility than we thought he did in terms of being able to get lined up and accomplish what we’re asking him to accomplish without it being a major issue for him.”
Cowboys get to enjoy George Pickens the WR1, they’ll have to pay him later
The only problem with Pickens playing beyond the Cowboys’ expectations, is that the price tag for the 24-year-old playmaker keeps going up. Represented by powerful agent David Mulugheta, Pickens will not be an easy extension. Not with the WR1 type play he’s delivering. Even if his production goes down with CeeDee Lamb’s return (not as likely as it seems, by the way), the film will be there for teams seeking a No. 1 receiver in free agency.
The Cowboys could use the franchise tag—projected to cost around $28 million—but even that would spell trouble. Pickens would be a prime candidate to hold out during the offseason.
You can’t have everything in the NFL. But that is a problem for another day. For now, the Cowboys need the best football Pickens can give them to have a chance at winning football games despite a struggling defense. The good news is Pickens is focused on the same goal.
“Definitely winning,” said Pickens when asked about his priority when deciding where to play. “I feel like just because that’s been like my resume the whole time. I won in high school, I won at Georgia. So that’s definitely winning and I always think about winning.”
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