The Dallas Cowboys' decision to trade for George Pickens was highly debated at the time. On the one hand, he looked like a perfect complement for CeeDee Lamb. On the other, the narrative around him wasn't encouraging at all.
But so far, so good for Pickens in Arlington. If anything, he's been a team-first kind of guy. With that in mind, Cowboys guard Tyler Smith wanted to let everybody know just how much of a positive impact he made on players in Week 2.
George Pickens Helped Teammates Out During Cowboys' Wild Week 2 Game
"I think George had a huge game today and I know people only see the highlights, but if you heard what he was saying in the huddle, I think that really just speaks to he was a man," Smith said. "He was like, Y'all, just keep going. We got to keep going until we make it home. Keep going!"
More impressively, Pickens also made sure to keep their heads high when things weren't going their way. The Cowboy faced plenty of adversity in their narrow 40-37 overtime win, and Pickens wanted to keep everybody focused:
"When the score wasn't going our way, when we wasn't moving the ball the way we were supposed to, he was pushing us to keep going every single play. And I appreciate that as a man, as a brother," Smith added.
Pickens wasn't that involved in the offense in Week 1, logging just three receptions for 30 yards in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. It wasn't the debut neither he nor the team wanted, but both took an optimistic approach after the game and looked ahead to better days. It didn't take long for those to arrive, as Pickens hauled in five of nine targets for 68 yards and one touchdown against the New York Giants.
The Cowboys could easily have one of the most dangerous one-two punches in the game with Pickens and Lamb once the former completely settles in with this new offense. However, Dallas likely wants to see how he carries himself and his chemistry with Dak Prescott before giving him a big-money deal.
Pickens has all the talent in the world, but he's also been his own worst enemy at times. Hopefully, he will continue to act like he did in Week 2, and prove that more than a star, he can also be a leader.