As the Dallas Cowboys began to explain their first-round selection of yet another offensive lineman, Jerry Jones’ mind flew to Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter and New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
“We’re very aware of the challenges we have in our division in the center of the line,” Jones said. “You look at our division, and you got to start at beating the guys in our division and winning.”
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So the Cowboys disappointed some mock draft analysts as they punted on receiver in favor of Alabama offensive guard Tyler Booker in the first round.
Matthew Golden did not become a Cowboy.
But Dallas had a plan.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones and owner Jerry said on draft weekend what they have often said for more than a decade: player acquisition is a 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year operation.
“The train has not left the station if improvement is needed from what we’ve got on campus,” Jerry Jones said. “We don’t have to be through at receiver in any way. As a matter of fact, as we got on into the draft, the likelihood of creating competition if we did go out and did something, that’s important to us in free agency.
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“I’m just giving you the benefit of the mentality there: definitely the idea that we could, if the opportunity comes up and we want to, we can address this in free agency.”
On Wednesday morning, the Cowboys added a passenger to the train.
Dallas acquired Pittsburgh Steelers receiver George Pickens for a 2026 third-round pick and a swap of their 2026 sixth for the Steelers’ 2027 fifth.
Cowboys star receiver CeeDee Lamb tweeted a waving GIF shortly before the trade news broke.
There’s much to debate about the schematic and cultural implications of the trade, but Dallas’ move sent two messages.
The first: The Cowboys realized they were losing ground in the NFC East arms race and responded accordingly. And second: Despite serious turnover in team leadership, including a new head coach, the Cowboys aren’t looking for a rebuild stage — they’re raring to win now.
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One step closer to “all in.”
After losing season, why would Cowboys pay up for Pickens?
A slew of injuries, a lame-duck head coach on the final year of his contract and an underachieving offensive line all contributed to the Cowboys’ 7-10 finish last season.
Dallas replaced Mike McCarthy with Brian Schottenheimer two days before its NFC East rivals faced off in the conference championship.
The Eagles ultimately won the Super Bowl. The Commanders, in head coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels’ first season, advanced to a playoff depth that Dallas hasn’t seen since the 1995 season.
So Jones and Co. considered what they needed. They believed their offensive line performance was preventing any meaningful success, so they hired Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach Klayton Adams to their offensive coordinator role and then spent a first-round pick on the unit. The Cowboys retooled their run schemes and their passing concepts to help protection calls. But a problem remained: Opponents knew last year that Dallas quarterbacks were looking for Lamb downfield. There was little to hide and much telegraphed.
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The emphasis on the offensive line protecting Prescott wouldn’t fully pay off without a tilt toward the passing game. And there was no choice but to maximize the league-high $60 million investment the Cowboys are making in Prescott.
“With the makeup that we have on our team and the players we’ve got right now, this is a very good way to try to get something big-time done in the next two, three years,” Jerry Jones said during draft weekend. “This makes a lot of sense, time wise.”
Enter Pickens, a mercurial but talented receiver on the last year of his rookie deal.
In three seasons with Pittsburgh, Pickens caught 174 passes for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 2023 peak featured 1,140 yards and a league-best 18.1 yards per catch. The yardage wasn’t primarily a result of tackle-breaking yards after the catch.
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Rather, Pickens has averaged 12.3 yards before the catch in his career compared to Lamb’s 7.8. Evaluators and coaches around the league expect them to complement each other well.
“The only thing they are similar in is their frame,” said one NFC opposing coach of the players who stand at 6-foot-3 and 6-2, each 200 pounds. “Pickens’ skill set is more of your true X receiver, outside threat, vertical route-runner. Great catch radius. CeeDee has a more diverse route tree. Can be moved around. In the slot and outside. Think there is a lot versatility in Lamb’s game.”
An NFC executive agreed Pickens’ outside threat would open up Lamb.
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“Allow CeeDee to play more free inside,” the executive said, “where he’s best suited.”
Eagles and Commanders success flaming fire of Jerry Jones’ competitiveness
The salary cap risk of trading for Pickens is limited. His skill set is enticing.
But it’s well-known across the league that the receiver invites and at times creates drama. That factored into Pittsburgh dealing a young, talented player with just $3.6 million owed this year.
“Pickens is an elite WR,” one AFC defensive coach who has faced Pickens said, “when he chooses to be.”
League sources expect Dallas to need to manage Pickens. They believe Prescott’s leadership factored into the Cowboys’ comfort in drafting a player with Pickens’ fire. The existing roster wasn’t going to get the team over the playoff hump.
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“The disappointing year caused us to perceive or have more [goals] in what we’d want to go forward this year,” Jerry Jones said. “That probably did show you need to rethink where you are there, whether that be talent-wise or what you’re trying to do with the talent you got.”
As the Cowboys looked at their division, the first hill to climb on the route to any playoff success, they saw a Commanders team that traded for Deebo Samuel this offseason to pair with receiver Terry McLaurin as weapons for second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Dallas watched the Eagles win it all last year after trading for receiver A.J. Brown to pair with DeVonta Smith, and running back Saquon Barkley capitalizing off both wideout threats.
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The Giants don’t seem as deep in the receiving room, though their top-end talent in 2024 first-rounder Malik Nabers is a weekly matchup problem.
Dallas, too, now poses a problem for opposing defenses, who can’t put their top corner on Lamb and Pickens. The Cowboys hope Lamb and Pickens downfield means fewer stacked boxes for a run game sorely needing improvement, and all of it bolstered by an offensive line that has received investment to counter the increasingly daunting NFC East trenches.
Will Pickens send Dallas all the way? The last 30 years of Cowboys history don’t point at that conclusion.
Will he help them stay afloat, if not triumph, in a talented NFC East? That is realistic — and he was needed.
“They have to keep pace,” one NFC executive said, “with the division.”
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