OXNARD, CA – It was the last play of practice. George Pickens, running a sharp comeback route, snagged Dak Prescott’s short pass to the left flat and urgently juked a defender near the sideline. Then he cut against the grain and streaked across the field for at least another 50 yards with a purpose. The crowd roared.
Pickens didn’t stop until he crossed the goal line. Then he added theatrics. The wide receiver stretched both arms toward the sky and crashed on his back.
It was also significant that two of his new Dallas Cowboys teammates – Cee Dee Lamb and tight end Jake Ferguson – sprinted downfield to join Pickens in a celebration.
What a snapshot of training camp bliss. Big play, big celebration.
“Team brotherhood, yeah,” Pickens told USA TODAY Sports a few minutes later. “Really, I’m just embracing it. And it’s about them embracing me, too.”
Welcome to the next chapter of Pickens’ NFL career. The Cowboys obtained the fourth-year pro from the Pittsburgh Steelers in a post-draft trade in May and there are grand visions of the big plays he can produce as another target for Prescott, opposite the All-Pro Lamb. Since he entered the NFL as a second-round pick from Georgia, only Justin Jefferson and A.J. Brown have produced more receptions of at least 25 yards than Pickens (41). Last season, Pickens’ 14 catches in that category were topped only by Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase.
And Pickens, 24, is clearly elite when it comes to hauling in contested catches.
Then there’s the reason the home run threat was available in the first place. Too often, Pickens was his own worst enemy with the Steelers, a headache waiting to happen. Being explosive, it seems, is a double-edged sword. There were hotheaded scuffles with opponents. During at least one game, he argued with fans. He was also criticized for lacking professionalism while dodging the media.
After Pickens drew two unsportsmanlike conduct flags during a game at Cincinnati with fits of immaturity, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of the receiver: “He’s got to grow up in a hurry.”
Undoubtedly, the Steelers embraced the idea of moving on from Pickens.
Hello, Dallas.
“The issues, they don’t deter me at all,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told USA TODAY Sports in May, shortly after the trade.
Dallas sent a third-round pick in 2026 and a fifth-round choice in 2027 to Pittsburgh for Pickens and a sixth-round pick in 2027. “You get these guys that are really in the right place, that makes a big difference,” Jones said.
Jones has a history of taking chances on players who either fell out of favor elsewhere, or carried baggage related to off-the-field issues. Some cases worked out, while others flopped. The former category would include Hall of Famer Charles Haley, who became a key cog in three Super Bowl championship teams after he was obtained in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers in 1992. The latter category would include Adam “Pacman” Jones and Greg Hardy, whose legal issues didn’t end when they joined the Cowboys.
“The biggest issue of all is that I’ve never met a human that didn’t have frailties,” Jones said. “As a matter of fact, someone once said, ‘Jerry might be the most flawed individual I’ve ever met.’ As one flawed person to the other, I look forward to working with George.”
Pickens is well aware of the reputation he hopes to leave behind with his fresh start.
“You can push a certain narrative. I know, personally, myself, that I’m not an issue,” Pickens said. “Now, I’m just following the Cowboys way. They always want to win a Super Bowl. So, I’m on their agenda now.”
Time will tell whether Pickens is a good fit for the chemistry of a franchise that is, well, working with a 29-year Super Bowl drought. Since his arrival, coaches, teammates and others connected to the team have raved about Pickens’ approach and demeanor. So, that’s a great sign. Ferguson, the tight end, recalled a good first impression in meeting Pickens during the draft process in 2022.
“Seeing the locker room, it was right back to normal, right back to chatting it up,” Ferguson said. “I’m excited to see what he can do. And yeah, he gets on the field and he’s explosive. It’s just going to open up that many more things.”
Pickens won’t deny that his demeanor has become more upbeat since the trade.
“Yeah, it’s a huge change from the last couple of years,” he said.
Then came a swipe at the Steelers.
“It was all a big circus,” he says. “When I was at the Steelers, the team wasn’t as fun.”
Stay tuned. While Pickens (who led Pittsburgh with 59 catches for 900 yards in 2024) clearly carries a competitive edge, it will be interesting to see how well he handles a complementary role in a passing game that revolves around Lamb. What’s the reaction if Lamb puts up a monster game with, say, 10 catches for 150 yards and two TDs, while Pickens chips in with four receptions and 60 yards? Of course, that’s hypothetical. Yet it’s fair to wonder whether Pickens, after being the Steelers’ undisputed No. 1 receiver, would be fazed by the prospect of not being the top option.
“I accept it as huge,” he maintained. “I look at it as better. I don’t know if other people see that. I can only think for myself, but I look at it as a way for a great chance. Because you have Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins (with the Bengals). You have A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith (with the Eagles). Look around the league. When you’ve got those two-headed weapons, those are the guys going to the playoffs, close to or in the Super Bowl. I embrace it a lot, honestly. Whether it’s 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A. See what I mean? It don’t matter.”
Mention the X’s and O’s and Pickens lights up. Clearly this is a man stoked about the designs of an offense that has the fingerprints of new coach Brian Schottenheimer, promoted from coordinator to replace Mike McCarthy. Pickens isn’t shy in expressing that he felt stagnated in Arthur Smith’s offense with Pittsburgh last season.
“Man, I was super limited,” he said. “I came out of college running posts, go-balls, comebacks, digs. And then I got to the Steelers and I was only running go-balls. And screens. It was limited from low to high.”
He continued grumbling about a lack of intermediate routes in Pittsburgh.
“Now I’m running digs,” he added. “I ran like three digs today. I ran a comeback on the last play. I didn’t run one comeback my whole career with the Steelers. That should show you a lot. And that’s just today. Yesterday, I ran three other comebacks. See what I mean?”
Pickens is surely heard, loud and clear. Although he insists he was “kind of surprised” when the trade happened, it was hardly a secret that he wanted out.
“When you see better for yourself … you’re going to have to take it,” he said. “And that’s what your family is going to want you to do. So, I kind of felt like it was better somewhere else.”
Is Dallas a long-term destination? That’s TBD. Pickens is on the final year of his rookie contract, with a base salary of $3.65 million, eligible to become a free agent in March. The Steelers, who added DK Metcalf in an offseason deal, were wise to get something in return for a player they had no interest in signing to a long-term extension.
Now that looms as an option for the Cowboys – and incentive for Pickens to prove that he’s a good fit in more ways than one.
“I think we’re in total agreement,” Jones said. “Let’s see how this year goes and go from there.”
In other words, Pickens could explode in Dallas – one way or another.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on social media: On X: @JarrettBell; On Bluesky: jarrettbell.bsky.social