Blogging The Boys
The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas acquires a WR2 in a trade with Pittsburgh.
The Dallas Cowboys’ search for a No. 2 wide receiver opposite Pro Bowler CeeDee Lamb has landed them George Pickens.
The Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a trade Wednesday that will send Pickens to Dallas for a 2026 third-round pick. The Cowboys will also send a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Steelers and get back a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Three weeks ago, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones hinted the club was working on ”substantive trades” involving players that could be completed before or after the NFL draft.
Had Tetairoa McMillan been available when the Cowboys picked No. 12 in the first round, the wide receiver would have been Dallas’ first-round pick, sources said, but he went No. 8 to the Carolina Panthers. The Cowboys did not pick a wide receiver in the remaining six rounds, despite the need.
Pickens, a second-round pick of the Steelers in 2022, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that the Cowboys do not plan to extend Pickens’ contract and will let him play out the final year.
The trade comes as Pickens’ role as the Steelers’ top wide receiver appeared to be supplanted after Pittsburgh traded for DK Metcalf in March. The Steelers are also awaiting an answer from quarterback Aaron Rodgers about whether he will play in 2025.
The Cowboys will have their starting quarterback, Dak Prescott, back after he missed the final nine games last season with a hamstring avulsion that required surgery. With Lamb and Pickens, the Cowboys have their best wide receiver duo since Lamb was paired with Amari Cooper in 2020-21.
Harmon takes a detailed look at what Pickens could mean for the Cowboys offense.
It’s essential to understand the risk they’re taking on here when you’re analyzing this trade and look beyond his season-end stats and don’t obsess over how he’s played with terrible quarterbacks in miserable offenses. And you need to do it even if you like the trade, which I do.
The Cowboys didn’t just have a glaring need for someone with “WR” next to their name; their specific deficiencies required someone with George Pickens’ exact skill set.
Dallas has done an excellent job of weaponizing CeeDee Lamb by moving him around the formation. Lamb leads all wide receivers with 43 yards per game out of the slot over the last two seasons. He’s both a big-play threat and a first-down machine as an interior receiver. Lamb is good enough to win from any alignment, but his connection with Dak Prescott and value to the offense is maximized when lined up off the line or inside.
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