The Dallas Cowboys have turned the page to the New York Giants. However, before they take on another NFC East opponent to begin the season, head coach Brian Schottenheimer made sure to come out and clarify WR George Pickens' usage when speaking to the media on Monday.
He said, "Each week is gonna be different. [The Eagles] did cloud to him quite a bit.… There were 1-2 potential opportunities where the ball should’ve went to George.”
The head coach also pointed out that there will be some weeks where Pickens gets more targets than Lamb, and since these two WRs have a close relationship, he doesn't believe target shares will become a problem.
Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer Shuts Down Any George Pickens Noise
In the season opener, Pickens finished with three catches and 30 yards. Meanwhile, Lamb had a team-high 13 targets, resulting in seven catches for 110 yards.
The Cowboys know that Lamb will be the focal point in the passing attack, but Pickens won't be happy if he only sees four targets a game. That isn't what Dallas wants to have happen either. Pickens has a history of some outbursts on the field, so it's smart for Dallas to give the emotional wideout some reassurance this was an outlier, instead of allowing this to generate some frustration early on.
And at the end of the day, Dallas didn't acquire Pickens to keep the ball away from him. The Georgia product had 2,841 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns before joining the Cowboys. He has the build and skillset to be a dynamic playmaker for an offense that's craved a legitimate WR2.
Dallas wants to maximize that, and getting him the ball more is a way to unlock that. Target share will always be a topic of discussion around WRs, and it didn't take long for that storm to head over to the Cowboys.
Going up against the Giants seems like the perfect opponent for Dallas, as New York gave up 432 total yards to the Washington Commanders in Week 1. Over 200 of those yards came through the air, and with how Dak Prescott came out throwing the ball against the Eagles, there will be plenty of big plays up for grabs.
And look for No. 3 to get some more chances to make plays on Sunday and going forward.