Former Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens made his Dallas Cowboys debut on Thursday night and had a very George Pickens type of game. Although he didn’t go off for 200 yards, we saw some of his greatest—or at least most common—hits. A couple plays, a couple of near plays, drawing penalties, and random unnecessary behavior: that’s our George. Or, well, Dallas’ George now.
A second-round pick in 2022, George Pickens spent the past three seasons with the Steelers before they traded him to the Cowboys for a third-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. Though tremendously talented, he never produced to the level desired. It was his antics on and off the field that left the team concerned about the viability of a long-term relationship.
And so he’s in Dallas, and finally on the field. The Cowboys didn’t waste time getting him involved early, his first reception coming barely a minute into the game. It went all of six yards, though, unable to shake a tackler in space. As is in his nature, he also nearly caught a pass on which he drew a DPI, a glimpse of that intriguing freakish talent that keeps the league invested.
The biggest moment for George Pickens in his Cowboys debut came early in the second half—in a bad way. With Dallas in 1st and 10 on the 11, he drew an unnecessary roughness penalty, wiping out a three-yard run by Miles Sanders. Eventually, despite a penalty on 3rd and 22 that gave Dallas the ball back at the 11, a Sanders fumble led to a failed possession. Before that, he also unnecessarily grabbed at the leg of a defender after an incompletion. By halftime, he had two catches for 15 yards on three targets.
Late in the fourth quarter, Pickens came up with a big 15-yard conversion with the Cowboys trailing by 4, facing a 3rd and 5. It was his first target of the second half, and also his last target on the night. He concluded his Cowboys debut with three catches for 30 yards on four targets. Plus one penalty, a grabbed ankle, and some loafing. In other words, a very George Pickens day, minus one big, explosive catch, and a random leap to nowhere.
Granted, Pickens managed to avoid spitting on anybody, so that’s an early win for the Cowboys. I’m sure they would like to get a few more catches and yards out of their investment. But both sides understood going in this could potentially be a one-year arrangement.
Pickens is entering the final year of his contract, and the Cowboys had no interest in signing him to an extension. At a third-round value, they recognized they could potentially recoup a third-round compensatory pick for him in 2027 should he depart in free agency.
Although teams normally like to have their players locked in, there’s a reason the Steelers traded George Pickens to the Cowboys this offseason. It’s because they knew he might not have a future with them, and they didn’t want to find out. It’s now Dallas’ issue, whether it goes well or not. Unsurprisingly, in his debut in the Star, we didn’t get a strong sense one way or another.
