George Pickens is a Dallas Cowboy. From a sporting perspective, there is a lot to be said for the trade, but what is happening behind the scenes?

The Dallas Cowboys traded for George Pickens in the middle of the week. This secures the Arlington franchise’s rights to the promising wide receiver for at least the coming season.

Pickens comes from the Pittsburgh Steelers, who selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Since then, the 24-year-old has racked up an impressive 2,841 receiving yards in his three seasons.

Pickens is said to have been the first choice of Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones. The owner has rarely covered himself in glory in recent years.

Jones has often been criticized by Cowboys fans for handing out overly expensive contracts to individual players such as quarterback Dak Prescott and former running back Ezekiel Elliott. On the other hand, the team lacked the money to add depth and quality to its roster.

This year, however, things look different. Prescott has a rock-solid O-line in front of him, and the Cowboys will also be able to rely on their defense. Although much in the defense still depends on star player Micah Parsons, the linebacker has said he wants to extend his contract in Dallas.

But back to the offense and Pickens: The wide receiver came to Texas along with a sixth-round pick (2027). In return, the Cowboys sent a third-round pick (2026) and a fifth-round pick (2027) to the Steelers.

George Pickens is a sporting upgrade for the Dallas Cowboys

From an athletic standpoint, it would be surprising if the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Pickens didn’t make the Cowboys better.

His receiving stats from the past three years speak for themselves: 801, 1,140, 900 yards. That’s how much ground the wideout covered. However, his total of twelve touchdowns could be improved.

But it must also be said that the Steelers have shown no consistency at the quarterback position since Pickens began his career. Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Mitchell Trubisky, Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields – they all got their chance to play. The days of Steelers stalwart Ben Roethlisberger are long gone.

Nevertheless, Pickens put up decent stats. So you can imagine that things could get even better with a well-established Prescott.

Prescott is still considered a good deep passer, an attribute that suits Pickens’ style of play. Pickens is considered an “outside vertical” receiver, meaning he likes to run a straight route toward the end zone or down the sideline. According to ESPN, around 20 percent of his runs in 2024 consisted of such go routes or deep fade runs.

Cowboys: George Pickens takes some pressure off CeeDee Lamb

This means Pickens should complement Dallas’ number one receiver, CeeDee Lamb, perfectly. Lamb is a classic slot receiver who typically runs hook routes.

Lamb is also the primary beneficiary of Pickens’ arrival. Unsurprisingly, the star receiver has always been the top target for the Cowboys in the past. However, the opposing cornerbacks and safeties knew that too. Pickens takes the focus off Lamb – the opposing secondary now has to keep an eye on both top receivers.

Besides Lamb and Pickens, the receiver room in Dallas is ultimately thin on quality. Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, Jonathan Mingo, Jalen Brooks, Parris Campbell, etc. – with all due respect, these are not the biggest names. Especially since the Cowboys did nothing for the receiver position in the draft.

But now they have Lamb at one and Pickens at two. On paper, the two are definitely in contention for the best receiver duo in the league. Prescott will also have to step up, finding his way back to his true strength – decision-making – after returning from a thigh injury.

Pittsburgh Steelers wanted to get rid of George Pickens

So it’s clear that Pickens is an athletic upgrade. But what about team chemistry?

First and foremost, the trade is not without risk from a franchise perspective. Pickens is entering the final year of his rookie contract. If he flops in Dallas and is not interested in a long-term contract, he would be a free agent next year. Then the trade would look bad in hindsight.

What could cause Pickens to not work out for the Cowboys is the receiver himself. The Steelers made no secret of the fact that they wanted to get rid of Pickens.

On the one hand, Pittsburgh had recently traded for star receiver D.K. Metcalf, and on the other hand, Pickens regularly made negative headlines in “Steel City” and seemed to be poison for the Steelers’ locker room.

Pickens is known for not (yet) being able to control his emotions. His teammates have had to calm him down on the sidelines on several occasions. After receiving two penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct (including a $20,000 fine) in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he was publicly reprimanded by Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin.

“He needs to grow up, and fast,” Tomlin said at the time. A few weeks later, Pickens arrived more than an hour and a half late for the Christmas Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, which once again sent the team’s management into a frenzy.

George Pickens also wanted to leave the Pittsburgh Steelers

Pickens also caused a stir in Cleveland in November when, in the snow and during a Steelers Hail Mary attempt, he chose to mess with a Browns defender instead of focusing on the ball. Pickens knocked his opponent into the fans and then allegedly got into a fight with Browns fans.

As far as team chemistry is concerned, the Steelers are happy to be rid of Pickens. He regularly cost the team yardage penalties. The Cowboys will now have to adjust to this – or Pickens will have to get his emotions under control.

What speaks in his favor is the fact that Pickens himself sought to leave toward the end of his time in Pittsburgh. Although he never officially asked for a trade, his behavior repeatedly suggested that he wanted out of Pittsburgh.