Dallas Cowboys’ big Week 9 decision on George Pickens does very little to quiet down trade speculation ahead of Tuesday’s deadline
The Dallas Cowboys sit at 3-5 with the NFL trade deadline days away. And their latest pregame call on George Pickens before facing the Colts raises an uncomfortable question.
If the Dallas Cowboys wanted to quiet any speculation about George Pickens’ future with the franchise, their Sunday pregame decision against the Indianapolis Colts didn’t help. Pickens is inactive for Week 9.
To be fair, the wide receiver is dealing with a shoulder/hamstring injury. This could simply be about Pickens being banged up and Dallas wanting to give him some rest. But at 3-5, and with Pickens playing two prior games through injury, it’s impossible to ignore that NFL teams will be interested in calling about Pickens before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
Why the Pickens decision is eyebrow-raising
Here’s the thing about this decision: The Cowboys played Pickens over the last couple of weeks while he was banged up. He was hurting enough that the team admitted the injury affected his snap counts.
So why sit him now?
To be fair, Pickens is now dealing with a hamstring injury in addition to a shoulder one we previously knew about. But still, this isn’t exactly an easy game, because nothing comes easy for the Cowboys. That’s true even against a team in full selling mode. Indianapolis has already moved on from multiple star players, including Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner, and it could deal even more. Rumors continue to swirl around Jonathan Taylor and Daniel Jones.
Yet Dallas is choosing to go without one of its best offensive players in a game it can’t afford to lose.
George Pickens’ contract is the elephant in the room
The bigger issue is the contract, which has been well documented since earlier this year. Pickens is playing on a one-year deal.
The Cowboys have publicly said they believe paying two wide receivers at the top of the market is very challenging. Dallas also didn’t commit to Pickens long-term in the 2026 offseason. The team only franchise tagged him.
Pickens’ future in Dallas is far from certain.
The Cowboys have a lot of contracts to take care of next year. It’s entirely possible Pickens isn’t in their long-term plans. And if he isn’t, it only makes sense for Dallas to at least listen to trade offers that come its way.
To be clear, sitting Pickens for Week 9 doesn’t guarantee a trade is coming. But it’s worth noting, especially with the deadline this close.
The Cowboys have consistently indicated they do not plan to be sellers at the trade deadline, and their history backs it up. But today’s decision won’t make the speculation go away.
Who replaces Pickens against the Colts?
As for gameday, the Cowboys elevated practice squad WR Jordan Hudson to take Pickens’ place on the active roster.
However, Hudson probably won’t be the one soaking up most of the work. I expect Ryan Flournoy and either Jonathan Mingo or Camden Brown to get a bigger share of Pickens’ snaps on Sunday.
Whoever steps up, the stakes are clear. Dallas cannot afford to drop this one. With all of the above being said, let’s dive into the full inactives list, which has a lot more big names in it.
Cowboys inactives include Joey Porter Jr.
- WR George Pickens
- CB Joey Porter Jr.
- LB DeMarvion Overshown
- WR KaVontae Turpin
- OLB Tyrus Wheat
- OG Ajani Cornelius
- TE Luke Schoonmaker
- PRACTICE SQUAD ELEVATIONS: TE James Mitchell, WR Jordan Hudson
Colts inactives
