Cowboys’ trade for George Pickens completes their offense and is a bet on their culture

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Moments after the conclusion of the NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys held their customary post-draft news conference. While most questions were about what the Cowboys did in the draft, one of the early questions was about what they didn’t do: address the glaring need at their No. 2 wide receiver spot.

“It definitely was a big-time thought that the train has not left the station if improvement is needed from what we’ve got on campus,” team owner and GM Jerry Jones said.

Jones then mentioned the fact that Jonathan Mingo, the Carolina Panthers’ second-round pick who the Cowboys viewed favorably in the 2023 draft and traded a fourth-round pick for in the fall, was on his summary sheet for the 2025 draft. While it was expected Jones would bring up that point, it’s what he said after that hinted at how the Cowboys truly felt about their situation.

“Stephen (Jones) says it best, it’s a year-round deal,” Jones said. “But we don’t have to be through at receiver, in any way. … Definitely, the idea that we could, if the opportunity comes up, if we want to, we can address this in free agency.”

Pittsburgh’s concerns made for Dallas’ opportunity.

The Cowboys acquired George Pickens and the Steelers’ sixth-round pick in 2027 in a trade that sent Pittsburgh a 2026 third-round pick and fifth-rounder in 2027. In doing so, the Cowboys completed their offense for the upcoming season.

Dallas Cowboys projected Week 1 starters (at this point):

QB: Dak Prescott
RB: J. Williams/J. Blue
WR: CeeDee Lamb
WR: George Pickens
WR: Jalen Tolbert
TE: Jake Ferguson
RT: Terence Steele
RG: Tyler Booker
C: Cooper Beebe
LG: Tyler Smith
LT: Tyler Guyton

DE: Micah Parsons
DT:…

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 7, 2025

The Cowboys’ No. 1 options at quarterback, wide receiver and tight end are set with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Jake Ferguson. In drafting Tyler Booker 12th overall, the offensive line’s starting five is in place, too. There will be a training camp battle for the No. 3 wide receiver spot between Jalen Tolbert, Mingo, Jalen Brooks, KaVontae Turpin, Ryan Flournoy and Parris Campbell. Similarly, a collection of running backs, including fifth-round pick Jaydon Blue, will compete to shape the backfield next to Prescott.

Pickens will be the No. 2 option for Prescott in the passing game.

Before getting to the fit on the field, there must be consideration of Pickens’ reputation for antics off the field and how he will fit in the locker room. Parting ways with a third-round pick is not to be taken lightly. Pickens is only 24 and clearly has intriguing talent but he’s also entering the final year of his rookie contract. The Cowboys can choose to extend Pickens but they’re likely to wait and see how this upcoming season plays out before handing out an extension.

A fascinating layer to this deal — and Pickens’ contract situation — is that Pickens’ agent is David Mulugheta, who also represents Micah Parsons. Jerry Jones made headlines earlier this offseason when he said he didn’t know the name of Parsons’ agent, as the Cowboys work to get a monster extension done with Parsons.

Off the field, Dallas is betting on its culture. That culture centers around Prescott’s leadership and has been a point of emphasis for first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer.

The wide receiver position often comes with a little bit of extra spice — the Cowboys are no strangers to that. Dez Bryant certainly had some parts to him that needed to be managed by his surroundings. Lamb has been a lesser version of that but there have been times in the past couple of years when his body language and frustration with his involvement in the offense have been issues that required attention.

The Cowboys are going through somewhat of an evolution when it comes to locker room leadership. Since 2018, the wide receiver room has featured a veteran leadership presence in Amari Cooper or Brandin Cooks every year, except for 2022. Zack Martin, who retired this offseason, was a bona fide leader on the offense for the past decade. Defensively, there have been changes as well, including losing DeMarcus Lawrence this offseason in free agency.

But the Cowboys’ ultimate leader is Prescott. He’s still the centerpiece of the offense, on and off the field. The new coaching staff can work to establish a healthy culture that can consume Pickens but much of it will come down to how much Prescott can get through to the receiver and how much he will respect his quarterback.

How well things progress on the field will go a long way in the overall operation. Through Pickens’ NFL career, he’s worked with quarterbacks Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields and the post-prime version of Russell Wilson. Prescott instantly becomes Pickens’ best quarterback he’s been paired with in the NFL.

Pickens should open up things for the offense in a variety of ways. His ability to be a factor on the outside allows Schottenheimer to move Lamb around and hunt mismatches everywhere on the field, particularly in the slot. If defenses get too focused on Lamb, Pickens has the ability to make tough catches and make them pay.

The Lamb-Pickens duo also makes every other option in the passing game more dangerous.

With a formidable passing attack, the Cowboys also improve their outlook in the run game. Defenses will have to respect the Cowboys’ ability to move the ball through the air, which means they won’t be able to load the box very often. For a running game that is, at best, a mystery, that should be a significant help.

Time will tell how this move will be graded for the Cowboys. If it ends up being a one-year rental for a player who is a constant headache and flames out, losing a third-round selection in next year’s draft will be a sore topic. But if Pickens straightens up and lets his talent do the talking, the Cowboys would have not just found their final puzzle piece to the offense in 2025, but created a formidable wide receiver duo for the foreseeable future.

(Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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