Dallas Cowboys fans are accustomed to offseason letdown at this point — maybe even expecting it. But Jerry Jones is never shy about making headlines, and he's done it again on Wednesday morning.
After catching heat for not landing a strong WR2 option to pair with CeeDee Lamb in free agency or in the NFL Draft, the Cowboys have pulled off a blockbuster trade to fill the position.
Adam Schefter announced that the Cowboys are finalizing a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire George Pickens.
Cowboys Land George Pickens in Trade With Steelers
Schefter reports that the Cowboys are sending a third-round pick and "other pick swaps" to land Pickens, who the Steelers have been rumored to be shopping for at least a few weeks now. Pickens slots in immediately as Dallas' No. 2 WR, and in all likelihood will be Dak Prescott's second-favorite target.
There's no questioning Pickens' talent and upside. Despite playing in an underwhelming Steelers offense, he's racked up 2,800 yards and 12 touchdowns across his first three NFL seasons, averaging a whopping 16.3 yards per reception.
He was Pittsburgh's most efficient receiver as a rookie in 2022, averaging 9.5 yards per target while the next best mark on the team was 8.9, and in 2023, he averaged 10.8 while nobody else on the team averaged more than 8.2.
This is a clear and obvious upgrade over Brandin Cooks, whose departure this offseason left the underwhelming duo of Jalen Tolbert and Jonathan Mingo fighting it out for the WR2 spot.
Of course, it's not the on-field product that had Pickens leaving Pittsburgh. Leaks from the Steelers tend to be sparse, but there were rumblings of Pickens being a negative in the locker room, and his attitude on the sidelines has certainly seemed to indicate that.
He's also entering the final year of his contract — a $3.7 million cap hit in 2025 obviously makes him a total bargain, but it will cost a lot more than that to keep him around for more than just the one year.
This is a risky move for the Cowboys, but spending a third-round pick on this type of upside is a no-brainer.