Pickens is expected to show up for the team’s OTAs. Schottenheimer said he’s been impressed with Pickens since the Cowboys acquired the wideout from the Steelers in exchange for draft compensation. “I see a guy that’s maturing,” Schottenheimer said when asked about Pickens during a Tuesday presser. Pickens comes to Dallas after three up-and-down seasons in Pittsburgh, where he often threw on-field tantrums and delivered a number of low-effort performances when the quarterback wasn’t force feeding him the ball. Dak Prescott said last week that he sees Pickens as “more than a 50-50 catcher” who could be used as much more than a downfield specialist in the Dallas offense.

Prescott in a Wednesday morning radio interview was effusive in his praise of Pickens, who was traded last week from the Steelers to Dallas in exchange for draft compensation. “You put the ball anywhere in his vicinity, very strong hands,” Prescott said of Pickens. “He’s more than a 50-50 catcher. ... I’m excited for him. I know that we need some help at that position.” Pickens, 24, has 2,841 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns over three NFL seasons and is widely expected to see more single coverage in Dallas than he did as the unquestioned No. 1 wideout in Pittsburgh. Opposing coverage units won’t be able to shade safeties toward his side of the field with CeeDee Lamb threatening the middle of the field. Pickens shapes up as a volatile WR2/3 in 2025.

Pickens, who was traded from the Steelers to the Cowboys last week in exchange for draft pick compensation, won’t function as the primary wideout in Dallas. Pickens’ ability to challenge secondaries deep is something the Cowboys have “sorely missed” in recent seasons, Nguyen said. “In Pittsburgh, opposing defenses often doubled Pickens or shaded a safety to his side,” he said. “With the Cowboys, if defenses choose to put a safety over the top of Pickens, Lamb will have more space to work with in the middle of the field. You would expect teams to continue doubling Lamb, which means Pickens could see a huge uptick in one-on-one coverage.” Pickens, according to Nguyen, will only improve the Dallas passing attack if he gives consistent effort. The moody Pickens became widely known for taking plays off — and sometimes giving little effort for an entire game — during his three years with the Steelers. More single coverage, however, could mean more explosive plays for the new Cowboys WR2. In the Steelers’ run-first scheme last season, Pickens was third in targets of more than 20 yards downfield and second in receiving yards on downfield receptions. Pickens had just one drop on 30 downfield looks in 2024.

The Steelers’ decision to trade Pickens came just days after it was reported that the former Steeler wanted to remain in Pittsburgh. Speaking on Friday, Khan said, “The Cowboys reached out during the week and we had some conversations internally and with George’s agent.” After Khan’s discussions with the team and Pickens’ agent, the two sides agreed that a trade was in the best interest of all parties. He also added that the Steelers “feel good” about their receiver room heading into this season.” Pickens’ fantasy outlook for 2025 gets an immediate boost now that he’s with the Cowboys. CeeDee Lamb still stands to see the majority of the team’s targets, but Dak Prescott offers a much higher ceiling for Pickens than whoever the Steelers will have at quarterback this season.