For the much of the last month, the question has been been the same to the Dallas Cowboys and coach Brian Schottenheimer.

Why is George Pickens not getting the ball?

Why are they having so much trouble getting George Pickens involved?

Why are his targets so low?

And its not just about the numbers but the impact.

After leading the Cowboys in yards, touchdowns and receptions last season, while earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors for the first time, there was hope that Pickens would be even more dominant in 2026 due to a full offseason and the promise of moving him around more to take advantage of opposing defenses.

In 2025, Pickens finished with 93 receptions, 1,429 yards, and nine scores.

His 2026 numbers are decent. He had 39 catches for 533 yards with two touchdowns. But there are no where near the top of the league and they are far behind fellow Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb, who has 60 catches for 709 yards and six touchdowns.

But Pickens’ targets are low, especially early in games.

Pickens has seen just 10 the last two games combined after seeing 11 or more in three of the previous four games.

And his impact is way below expectations, especially considering he was the best player on the team in training camp and was hoping to parlay a big season into a contract extension with the Cowboys or big deal in free agency.

And this in addition to the Cowboys offense performing way below expectations in what has been a disappointing 3-5 start to a season that was supposed to end with a trip to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1996.

Owner Jerry Jones is also dumbfounded by Pickens’ usage and impact.

“He needs the ball coming his way more, and there’s your good case,” Jones said. We get the ball in that direction more and we press that.”

When Schottenheimer was asked this earlier in the season, he explained that Pickens was getting double covered or rolled coverage. Opposing teams were paying more attention to him, which opened things up for Lamb. Quarterback Dak Prescott has co-signed Schottenheimer and says he just throws to where the reads take him and to the open receivers.

Those excuses no longer hold water.

So the Cowboys now say they are making a more concerted effort to get Pickens the ball.

Certainly, Jones has mandated as much.

What can they do differently to get that done?

“Yeah. Again, move him around,” Schottenheimer said. “I mean, these are the conversations we have daily. He’s such a big part of what we’re doing as a football team and as an offense to get him involved. Moving him around a little bit is something that we’ve talked a lot about…When we move him, it doesn’t mean he’s always going to get the ball, but it’s certainly something that we’d like to get done earlier in games, get him off to a good start.”

Schottenheimer said getting the ball to Pickens and Lamb is a focal point of the game plan every week.

“If I showed you the call sheet and you saw the targets for him, the targets for [Lamb], it fills the entire back of my call sheet,” Schottenheimer said. “Again, when you have two of them, it’s going to get spread around a little bit. And so CeeDee and George both having good years, CeeDee’s numbers are incredible. But again, George is the guy that we’re focused on knowing we got to get him more and better. And that starts with me as the play call.”

Schottenheimer knows he has to do a better job getting Lamb the ball.

He also has to find way to keep him on the field and involved in the offense.

Two weeks ago, Schottenheimer pointed out that Pickens needed to a better job as a blocker in the run game.

In the two games since, his snaps have declined.

Pickens has been on the field for 60.3% and 56.8% of the snaps in the last two games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals.

Against the Cardinals, Pickens caught just two passes. Third receiver Ryan Flournoy played in 68% of the team’s offensive snaps and was the field on crucial possession late in the game when both Pickens and Lamb were on the sideline.

“There’s certain personnel packages that they don’t play in, and there’s a reason for that,” Schottenheimer said on Monday. “Those guys are involved in different things, and that’s why.”

That response seemed to support the growing narrative that Schottenheimer was taking Pickens off the field because of his deficiencies as a run blocker.

The Cowboys ran the ball 39 times against the Cardinals.

When asked by DLLS on Wednesday, Schottenheimer said Pickens limited snap count has more to do with a hamstring injury that he has been dealing with.

He has “not”been taken off the field because blocking in the run game

To take one of his best players and weapons off the field purposely “would be poor coaching by me,” Schottenheimer said.

“I’m just really proud of him how he’s banged up and he’s playing through it, which is great,” Schottenheimer said.

To Pickens’ credit, he has not complained about his role. He is frustrated by the team’s struggles and lack of wins. But he not made his situation an issue.

Pickens has a right to be frustrated as he not getting the expanded role in the offense he was promised when he decided not to complain about play the 2026 on the franchise tag and came to training camp hopeful of another big season and trusting that the Cowboys were going feature him in the offense.

Now, he is getting less snaps than Flournoy.

Pickens is not complaining.

Jones is.

Schottenheimer has heard it loud and clear.

As he said, it would be poor coaching on his part to limit his snaps and not try to get him the ball.