The Dallas Cowboys' 44-24 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon raises some real questions about the direction of the team. While some have thought Jerry Jones may be on the verge of cooking up a blockbuster trade, an even bigger question is the future of wide receiver George Pickens.
The Cowboys struck gold when they acquired Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason and his stats represent an explosive complement to CeeDee Lamb with 36 catches for 607 yards and six touchdowns. But while Jones may be tempted to keep his newest star in Dallas, the dilemma may have been made worse with another loss that could lead to his premature exit ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline.
The Cowboys Should Trade George Pickens Before It’s Too Late
Through the first eight games of the season, the Cowboys are a flawed team. You probably already knew that by their 3-4-1 record but may have been holding onto the thought their offense could carry them into contention. While the offense is championship-caliber, entering Sunday ranking second in the NFL at 31.7 points per game, their defense is worthy of a high draft pick, allowing 29.4 points per game.
Of course, this could build a case to keep Pickens. The Cowboys could sign Pickens to an extension, keep their offense together and use whatever assets are leftover to fix the defense. But if Pickens keeps producing at this level, Spotrac projects him with a market value of $29 million per season and presents Dallas with a lot to think about.
The Cincinnati Bengals were in a similar situation last offseason with wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Already having Joe Burrow signed to a top-of-the-market contract, the Bengals gave Chase a four-year, $161 million deal and doubled down by giving Higgins a four-year, $115 million contract on the same day.
The move kept Cincinnati’s offense together but completely neglected their defense. After allowing 25.5 points per game last season, the Bengals were allowing 30.6 points per game coming into Sunday’s action. In case you were busy tailgating, things didn’t get better for Cincinnati against the New York Jets as the Bengals lost a 39-38 thriller that gave New York its first win of the season.
Cowboys fans may have been watching their future if they caught the game on Sunday, and it’s hard not to compare the two when Pickens caught seven passes for 78 yards but the Dallas defense was run over for 179 yards on the ground while Bo Nix threw for four touchdowns.
Pickens deserves to get paid for his big performance, but it shouldn’t be from the Cowboys. If Dallas comes to that realization before the trade deadline, they could get more assets and find some players that can fix their defense. If they don’t, it could be more of the same and leave the Cowboys in irrelevancy.