Explaining Why George Pickens Has Found Success With Cowboys

George Pickens is much than uncovering his measurement pinch his caller team.

After being traded from nan Steelers to nan Cowboys this past May, nan 24-year-old is presently connected gait to group profession highs crossed nan board—and has already notched a azygous season-best six touchdowns. Through 7 games, Pickens has go Dallas's No. 1 target connected offense, hauling successful 36 catches connected 54 targets for 607 yards and nan aforementioned six scores.

Once thought to beryllium a locker room problem, nan erstwhile second-round prime has lined himself up for a large payday this offseason arsenic he enters nan last twelvemonth of his rookie contract. Just past week, Pickens mentioned he'd beryllium open to signing an hold pinch nan Cowboys.

"I wouldn’t mind it," he told reporters when asked astir a imaginable semipermanent early successful Dallas. "The guys successful nan locker room are ace cool, nan power is great. I ever want to showcase my talents."

And showcasing his talents is precisely what he's done. Here's a deeper look astatine how Pickens has been capable to find specified occurrence pinch nan Cowboys.

George Pickens and Dak Prescott person been capable to quickly get connected nan aforesaid page. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Simply put, Pickens has gone from catching passes from a subpar duo successful Justin Fields and Russell Wilson pinch Pittsburgh to 1 of nan league's much elite throwers of nan shot successful Dak Prescott.

Through 7 games, nan 32-year-old awesome caller leads nan NFL successful some touchdown passes (16) and QBR (81.2), is 2nd successful yards pinch 1,881, and has led Dallas' discourtesy to a league-best 390.6 yards per crippled and 31.7 points per game—second to only nan Colts.

While Prescott is undoubtedly playing MVP-caliber football, he's done his champion to pump nan tires of some Pickens and Dallas's different prima wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb.

"They are [the champion wide receiver duo he's ever played with]," Prescott proclaimed aft past week's Cowboys triumph complete nan Commanders. "That's in installments to nan measurement they show up and activity each and each day. That's in installments to nan modular that they person for themselves. That's in installments to nan emotion they person for 1 another, nan measurement that they push 1 another. They decidedly are. Those dudes are unbelievable."

On apical of his different career-pacing numbers, Pickens is besides posting his champion drawback complaint (67.9%) this play while lining up extracurricular connected a 88.3% of his snaps—also a high. Coach Brian Schottenheimer's system, mixed pinch elite backmost play from Prescott, has proven paramount for Pickens' occurrence successful 2025.

A bad Cowboys defense starring to much opportunities

Dallas's defense is allowing a league-high 401.6 yards per crippled successful 2025. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

On nan flip broadside of their ascendant discourtesy is simply a struggling Dallas defense.

Through 7 games, nan Cowboys are allowing nan astir full yards per crippled (401.6), passing yards per crippled (260.3), and nan third-most rushing yards per crippled (141.3) successful nan NFL. Additionally, they're giving up nan third-most points per crippled (29.4), are successful nan bottommost half of nan convention successful takeaways pinch conscionable six, and person sacked opposing quarterbacks conscionable 15 times—a middle-of-the-pack number—while allowing them to station a 110.6 passer standing (second-highest successful NFL) and giving them 2.95 seconds to propulsion (also nan second-highest).

Given that, nan discourtesy has been shoehorned into throwing nan ball, apt much than they want to, successful an effort to support gait pinch their opponents—resulting successful Prescott’s 259 walk attempts (tied for second-most successful nan NFL) and Pickens’s 21% target share, which we’ll get to now.

CeeDee Lamb missed 3 games for nan Cowboys while dealing pinch a precocious ankle sprain. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Pickens's 21% target stock successful nan Cowboys' discourtesy is 2nd only to tight extremity Jake Ferguson (22%) and first among wide receivers—likely due, successful part, to CeeDee Lamb's injury.

The prima pass-catcher missed Weeks 4 done 6 this play owed to a precocious ankle sprain, which successful move led to an influx of accumulation from Pickens. The 24-year-old was sensational complete that three-week stretch, hauling successful 8 catches for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns against nan Packers successful Week 4, and 9 catches for 168 yards and a people against nan Panthers successful Week 6. Week 5 was a spot quieter, arsenic he hauled successful only 2 passes connected 4 targets—but a 43-yard, third-quarter touchdown drawback helped seal nan triumph for Dallas.

Even erstwhile Lamb returned past week against nan Commanders to nan tune of 5 catches for 110 yards and a score, Pickens still sewage his—catching 4 passes connected six targets for 82 yards.

Needless to say, Pickens will stay successful nan operation moving guardant and should proceed to play a pivotal domiciled successful this high-powered Cowboys offense.

More NFL connected Sports Illustrated