When the Dallas Cowboys traded with the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire wide receiver George Pickens, the move was hailed as the WR2 Dallas had been missing for years.
At least since they traded away Amari Cooper back in 2022 at any rate.
In case you were wondering, the two draft picks they got back for Cooper were Devin Harper and Matt Waletzko. Neither player is still with the Cowboys.
Following the draft in April, the Cowboys sent a third-round pick (2026) and a fifth-round pick (2027) to the Steelers for Pickens and a sixth-round pick in 2027.
We’ll have to wait two years to see who the other players end up being. After the first week of the 2025 season, Pickens isn’t looking so hot.
The Dynamic Duo
The big sell on Pickens was that he and CeeDee Lamb would light up the opposing defenses.
This would allow Dak Prescott to thrive. It would also open up the run game for Dallas.
Against the Eagles, playing without Jalen Carter, the Cowboys’ run game generated 119 yards. With 49 of those coming in one play.
Nor did Prescott light up the passing game either.
He finished a pedestrian 21-for-34 for 188 yards and no touchdowns.
As for Pickens, he had just three catches for 30 yards on four targets. He also had a disastrous penalty and whiffed on a few block attempts.
For a man playing in a contract year, Pickens didn’t exactly make a strong opening argument on why Dallas, or any other team, should pay him.
No Help On The Depth Chart
If Pickens doesn’t step up his game soon, the Cowboys’ offense could be in serious trouble. Because there’s next to nothing behind Lamb and Pickens on the depth chart.
Jalen Tolbert had one catch that yielded no yardage on two targets.
He also may have caused one of Lamb’s drops by being far too close to Lamb when the ball arrived.
Someone ran the wrong route on that play. Odds are it was Tolbert.
Nor has he shown a lot of hustle on blocks or in avoiding contact when he does have the ball.
KaVontae Turpin finished with two catches for 18 yards. He was open on two plays for apparent first downs, but Prescott chose to force passes downfield instead that went incomplete.
Ryan Flournay, Jalen Brooks and Traeshon Holden could be moved up if needed.
However, none of them exactly put the fear of God into opposing defenses.
Yet Another Wasted Draft Pick?
It’s far too early to make any final determinations, but the Cowboys have been playing far too fast and loose with its mid-round draft picks as of late.
They traded away fourth round picks for quarterbacks Trey Lance, who did not pan out at all, and Joe Milton, who seems like a two-year project at best.
Those traded-away picks prevented Dallas from addressing serious areas of concern. If Pickens doesn’t pan out, they may rue the two picks they gave up to get him.
