George Pickens is raising eyebrows across the league for all the right reasons. Plagued by discipline issues, Pickens’ time with the Steelers had come to a close, so why not bolster the Cowboys’ receiving corps?
Instant Impact
Pickens was brought to Dallas to help the offense, as the No. 2 wide receiver behind CeeDee Lamb and another option for Dak Prescott to find. While sharing the field with Lamb for the first three games of the season, Pickens scored two touchdowns. Then, Lamb suffered an injury during Dallas’ Week 3 matchup against the Bears.
That’s when Pickens really stepped up. During Lamb’s absence, Pickens added another four touchdowns in three games. He put up monster performances, including a pair of touchdowns and 134 yards in a tie with the Packers, as well as one touchdown and 168 yards in a loss to the Panthers.
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Offensive Attack
The Cowboys have been able to scatter defenses with multiple options at receiver. In Week 11, Prescott threw touchdowns to four different receivers. Pickens had another great game, with 144 yards (his second-highest total all season) and a touchdown, as Dallas blew out the Raiders.
Through 10 games, Pickens leads the team in receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns, with some believing he could move into a No. 1 wide receiver role.
As Pickens’ first season in Dallas comes closer to an end, questions regarding contracts will start to pick up. He is in the last year of his contract and is going to become a free agent in March.
Already, multiple Cowboys have talked about how much they want him to stay. Given the low price Dallas paid to acquire him, it only makes sense that his performance be rewarded with a big pay-day.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was complimentary of Pickens following his performance against Las Vegas. “I’ve never seen a performance like that,” Jones said. “It was poetic the way that he was making those moves out there.”
To Sign or Not to Sign?
Re-sign, re-sign, re-sign.
The possibility of missing the playoffs looms for Dallas, and with that in mind, the front office should already be thinking about next season. Seeing all that he’s done this season, which has him second in receiving yards and tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns, it’d be foolish not to re-sign him.
The Future
Jones’ mid-season additions to the team were made with hopes of a playoff push, but with a 4-5-1 record, a playoff spot for the Cowboys now hinges on the next three games. It’s probably the hardest stretch Dallas faces all season, as they play the Eagles and Chiefs at home and then the Lions in Detroit the following week.
These games are entirely winnable; it just depends on who wants it more when the final whistle blows. The Eagles only won by four in their season opener against the Cowboys, although they were without Jalen Carter (#spitgate). However, they faced a defense that lacked DeMarvion Overshown and the recent acquisitions from the deadline. It’s not ridiculous to say the Cowboys pull off a win, especially with everything that’s happened since the beginning of the season.
Eagles vs. Cowboys kicks off at 4:25 ET at AT&T Stadium.
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