George Pickens has, from time to time, been unhappy with his pro football career in Pittsburgh. While he might welcome a fresh start in Dallas, he’ll likely be entering his first season as a Cowboys player without a new contract. And he’ll want to have the kind of performance that will set him up to get paid handsomely.
To make that happen, he’ll need to get the ball. Often.
It won’t be easy to do, given that the Cowboys’ passing game has CeeDee Lamb as its No. 1 option. Prescott will need to take what he can get, when he can get it. And to make the most of it.
The key to navigating the potential challenges that could arise won’t be owner/G.M. Jerry Jones or coach Brian Schottenheimer. As former Cowboys coach Jason Garett explained it on an special, unscheduled, bat-signal appearance on PFT Live, quarterback Dak Prescott will be the key.
Prescott, as Coach Garrett explained it, has the ability to form the proper relationship with Pickens. To get Pickens to buy in. To get Pickens to focus on the task at hand, one game and one drive and one play at a time.
To achieve the right level of comfort and trust so that Prescott can take full advantage of Pickens’s skills.
He definitely has them. I’ve been arguing since his rookie season that the Steelers need to find ways to get the ball to him more than they do. That he’s always open, even when he isn’t. That (similar to the criticism of Seattle’s inability to get the most out of DK Metcalf) the Steelers should have been designing plays with the specific goal of getting the ball in Pickens’s hands.
Pickens has a career average of 16.5 yards per reception. He’s the master of tracking and catching deep balls. If/when defenses devote extra resources to Lamb, Pickens will enjoy single coverage.
It could all go really well. It also could implode. Prescott will be the most important figure in making it work more often than it doesn’t.
Published May 7, 2025 11:01 AM
George Pickens has, from time to time, been unhappy with his pro football career in Pittsburgh. While he might welcome a fresh start in Dallas, he’ll likely be entering his first season as a Cowboys player without a new contract. And he’ll want to have the kind of performance that will set him up to get paid handsomely.
To make that happen, he’ll need to get the ball. Often.
It won’t be easy to do, given that the Cowboys’ passing game has CeeDee Lamb as its No. 1 option. Prescott will need to take what he can get, when he can get it. And to make the most of it.
The key to navigating the potential challenges that could arise won’t be owner/G.M. Jerry Jones or coach Brian Schottenheimer. As former Cowboys coach Jason Garett explained it on an special, unscheduled, bat-signal appearance on PFT Live, quarterback Dak Prescott will be the key.
Prescott, as Coach Garrett explained it, has the ability to form the proper relationship with Pickens. To get Pickens to buy in. To get Pickens to focus on the task at hand, one game and one drive and one play at a time.
To achieve the right level of comfort and trust so that Prescott can take full advantage of Pickens’s skills.
He definitely has them. I’ve been arguing since his rookie season that the Steelers need to find ways to get the ball to him more than they do. That he’s always open, even when he isn’t. That (similar to the criticism of Seattle’s inability to get the most out of DK Metcalf) the Steelers should have been designing plays with the specific goal of getting the ball in Pickens’s hands.
Pickens has a career average of 16.5 yards per reception. He’s the master of tracking and catching deep balls. If/when defenses devote extra resources to Lamb, Pickens will enjoy single coverage.
It could all go really well. It also could implode. Prescott will be the most important figure in making it work more often than it doesn’t.
