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Reports emerged about the Pittsburgh Steelers possibly trading George Pickens to the Cowboys. And the Steelers did add a veteran wide receiver. However, a Steelers insider revealed the truth of the Cowboys’ pursuit of Pickens.
The idea got tossed around, according to post-gazette.com.
Josh: Russini reported the Cowboys had trade interest in Pickens during the draft. Do you believe that was just a possible check-in to see what the asking price would be? Or were there actual negotiations that fell through?
Gerry Dulac: There were no negotiations. Sure, lots of teams, including the Steelers, make lots of phone calls, before and during the draft. Doesn’t mean it’s serious dealing.
It’s wise business. The Steelers have a potentially outstanding duo with Pickens and newcomer D.K. Metcalf. So, unless another team is dangling an NFL starting quarterback in the mix, it doesn’t make sense for the Steelers to make a move.
And the big idea behind getting Metcalf came from building the duo, according to espn.com.
“When you have the opportunity to obtain a player of that caliber, at least the way we see DK, I don’t think you can,” General Manager Omar Khan said when asked about being apprehensive to make the move without a quarterback. “You (can’t) wait around (for) those opportunities. You have to jump at them. It worked out, and he wanted to be here. And we wanted him here, and we weren’t going to let that opportunity go.
“You need more than one receiver in this league. And we’re fortunate we have George and Calvin [Austin III] and excited about what Roman [Wilson] is going to be able to do for us.”
Khan said he doesn’t think the two players are the same, even though they both fit the mold of big receivers.
“I don’t necessarily view them as similar to be quite honest with you,” he said. “They’re both downfield capable, but they’re different people. I mean, DK is a big man. GP is tall, and there’s a difference.”
Pickens led the Steelers with 900 yards last season. Adding Metcalf could make Pickens better, head coach Mike Tomlin said.
“There’s very little on the football field from a wide receiver perspective that (Metcalf) can’t do,” Tomlin said. “He’s got short game, he’s got long game. (And) he’s a combat-catch guy. He’s got run after. (Plus,) he’s a devastating run blocker. We’re really excited about the addition of DK Metcalf, and we’re going to use all those talents.”
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