George Pickens helps Dallas’ offense, but will he fix it? Either way, it’s worth the gamble

The Dallas Cowboys came out of the NFL Draft with one of the thinnest groups of skill position players in the league.

It didn’t look pretty, but the Cowboys also knew the offseason was far from over.

The Cowboys made a necessary and intriguing trade, sending a 2026 third-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers, along with a late-round pick swap, to get receiver George Pickens.

There’s baggage that comes with acquiring Pickens as there’s a reason the Steelers were shopping him, despite now being very thin behind DK Metcalf upon Pickens’ departure — but the Cowboys had to do something. Their set of pass catchers and running backs before the trade was basically CeeDee Lamb and pray.

They just have to hope to get the best of Pickens, which wasn’t always easy for the Steelers to do.

The good and bad of George Pickens

Pickens is an undeniably talented player. Two seasons ago he led the NFL with 18.1 yards per catch. He’s posted 16.3 yards per catch in his career and already has a long highlight reel of downfield circus catches.

Pickens is also undeniably disruptive. There was always something.

At the end of a Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns, Pickens started fighting cornerback Greg Newsome II as the Steelers were throwing a Hail Mary downfield. The fight ended up going past the back line of the end zone as the ball fell incomplete. It encapsulated Pickens’ three-year career in Pittsburgh, where there were always signs of drama to go along with the big plays.

Drama gets multiplied in Dallas. That’s how the market is even in the calmest of times. If Pickens is unhappy about not getting the ball or taking weird unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, we’ll all hear about it.

The good news is the Cowboys are used to the noise. They just want the production that will go with it.

How can Cowboys’ offense benefit from Pickens?

Before the Pickens trade, the Cowboys’ starting receivers aside from Lamb were probably Jonathan Mingo and Jalen Tolbert. The top running backs were Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. Drafting offensive linemen is wise, but at some point, you need players who can score touchdowns. Lamb can’t do it all.

In a perfect world, Pickens will give Dak Prescott a deep option in the offense, which will open up things for Lamb and Dallas’ tight ends underneath. Lamb will still be the target hog, but at least he has some help now.

And if the Cowboys’ gamble doesn’t work out and Pickens doesn’t fit in culturally or schematically, Dallas can get out of it easily. Pickens is on the last year of his rookie deal that will pay him $3.6 million this season. There will likely be talk about Pickens wanting an extension, but we’ll see if the Cowboys address that before the season. If they let Pickens play it out and leave, the cost of a third-round draft pick for one year isn’t ideal, but it’s also not the end of the world. The Houston Texans gave up a second-round pick for Stefon Diggs last year and got only one year out of him. It happens.

In a perfect world, Pickens quietly stacks up the second 1,000-yard season of his career and at just 24 years old signs an extension with Dallas to be Lamb’s running mate the next few years. There’s risk involved though. Pickens is no sure thing. Ask the Steelers.

But after not addressing receiver in the draft, the Cowboys had to try something.