George Pickens has taken in the Dallas Cowboys experience so far with amazement and wonderment.
It’s not necessarily a fish out of water situation, more of him relishing going from being a big fish in a little pond to a big fish in an ocean of other big fishes.
It has allowed his transition from the Pittsburgh Steelers _ where he was primary source of attention due to his play and so called immaturity _ to be almost muted. He has certainly flow under the radar and been overshadowed with the Cowboys so far.
The Cowboys are traded a third-round pick in 2026 and a fifth-round pick in 2027 to the Steelers in exchange for Pickens on May 7.
Owner Jerry Jones and now-traded star defensive end Micah Parsons have garnered all the media attention and headlines because of their public spat over a proposed contract extension.
Add in the release of the Netflix documentary, quarterback Dak Prescott’s return from injury after missing the final nine games of 2025 and new coach Brian Schottenheimer beginning his first year and any wonderment how Pickens would fit in has been reduced to small potatoes.
None of it has been lost on the mercurial receiver who has welcomed a low-key new start in Dallas with open arms.
Pickens could only smile and laugh when asked about the backdrop of his much-anticipated Cowboys debut on Thursday night in NFL season kickoff game vs the Philadelphia Eagles.
He acknowledged and seemingly relished that the Cowboys have other “weapons”, ie…distractions, for people to focus on.
He knows the attention will turn to him soon enough with eye balls on his every move and how he reacts, starting with the Eagles game.
He can’t wait to get the season started.
“Yeah, it’s anticipation,” he said. “I’m just waiting, pretty much, to see what the guys do, and to see what we do as a team.”
“I’m super excited.”
Pickens acknowledged he came to Dallas looking to put his best foot forward. He has bonded well with his teammates, including quarterback Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
He’s shown none of the so-called immaturity that allegedly plagued him in Pittsburgh, causing coach Mike Tomlin to say he needed to grow up last season.
“I think from the time that we got George, and we went into my office together and shot some free throws, talked and got to know each other, he made that [that he wants to be coached] very clear,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s like, ‘Coach, I’m thrilled to be here, No. 1. I want to be coached. I want to be great. I want to be a great player. I want to continue to be great. So, lean into me. Be tough on me. Tell me the things I need to do.’
“The way I am, I start with the relationship piece of it because I think you can coach people hard and coach them the right way when you have those relationships, but that doesn’t surprise me. He’s been nothing but incredible in terms of the way he’s worked with us, the way he’s communicated with us.”
Prescott has said the same thing and cornerback Trevon Diggs concurred.
“It feels like he’s been here from Day 1. Everyone’s cool. He’s a great kid,” Diggs said. “Always smiling. … I talk to him every day. We hang out being here, playing ping pong, doing everything. … I just can’t wait to see what he’s doing on the field.”
Pickens, who was traded from the Steelers to the Cowboys after the 2025 NFL draft, said he made a point to put his best foot forward in Dallas.
He is in the final year of his rookie contract and is looking to cash in big in free agency after the season.
“You always want to make a good first impression anywhere you go,” Pickens admitted. “But honestly, I’ve been the same way I was in Pittsburgh. I just feel like when the media drives a certain narrative, it can really take off and grow.”
It has all made the trade seem like a distant memory to Pickens.
“Oh yeah [it seems forever ago now],” Pickens said. “Especially with how close I got to these guys. I kind of forgot [about the trade].”
Pickens is most excited about playing in a complete offense in Dallas where he can show off his full arsenal of skills. He was mostly used as a downfield jump ball guy in Pittsburgh and caught passes outside the numbers.
He will get to run a full route tree with the Cowboys and be part of an offense that has All-Pro CeeDee Lamb as the lead receiver.
He believes the Cowboys offense will free him up compared to the conservative attack the Tomlin ran in Pittsburgh.
“Me being a receiver, schematically. Yeah, most definitely,” Pickens said. “Just a different totem pole on the team. The Steelers are heavy on their defense. Coach T [Mike Tomlin] is a defensive guy. He’s always been that way. Then here, Schotty is the complete opposite.”
“I’m super excited — that’s kind of what I was talking about with the scheme: different routes, different route concepts to get me open, to get CeeDee open, to get a lot of guys open. Like I said, we’ve got a lot of weapons, so I’ll naturally just come up simply by other guys just running their routes. I’m definitely ready.”
