The Dallas Cowboys notably upgraded their wide receiver room on Wednesday, acquiring George Pickens in a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pickens instantly becomes WR2 in Dallas alongside star wideout CeeDee Lamb and gives starting quarterback Dak Prescott another weapon in the passing game.
At the same time, this trade likely shuts down any chances of a reunion with former Cowboy Amari Cooper. After the 2025 NFL draft, there was some talk out of Dallas that Cooper could become a "safe fallback option" for the Cowboys at the WR2 spot.
However, no need for Cooper when you have a younger and more explosive wide receiver in Pickens. That said, the Pickens trade likely opened up a new opportunity for the former Dallas wide receiver as the Steelers need another veteran wide receiver.
When you look at the Steelers’ WR room post-Pickens trade, the only name that concerns opposing defenses is D.K. Metcalf.
If I’m Cooper’s agent, I’m contacting the Steelers’ front office asap because he’s a better option than most of those guys despite a down 2024 season. Last year, Cooper had a season to forget after posting back-to-back 1,000-yard-plus seasons in his first two years with the Browns.
The 30-year-old receiver got off to a rough start with the Browns in 2024, posting 24 receptions (53 targets) for 250 yards and two touchdowns in six games. However, Cleveland moved the vet ahead of the trade deadline to the Buffalo Bills.
Many people thought this was a great landing spot for Cooper, given the Bills didn’t have a bona fide wide receiver. That said, the former Cowboy was almost an afterthought in Buffalo. He had 20 receptions (32 targets) for 297 yards and two touchdowns in eight games.
The veteran pass catcher was also a non-factor in the NFL playoffs with the Bills, posting six receptions (eight targets) for 41 yards.
Nonetheless, even though Cooper did not look like the same wide receiver we saw in Dallas or Cleveland, he’s better than what the Steelers have and should be considered as a possible signing.