The Washington Commanders should feel a little better with how the Dallas Cowboys are acquiring George Pickens.
The Washington Commanders know they have another top receiver to deal with in the NFC East. The Dallas Cowboys acquiring Pittsburgh Steelers 1,000-yard receiver George Pickens provided Dak Prescott another top pass catcher in the offense.
Washington is better equipped to handle the CeeDee Lamb-Pickens duo than they were in prior years. Marshon Lattimore is entering the offseason healthy and is looking to bounce back after a poor 2024 season. Second round rookie Trey Amos more than held his own in a loaded SEC last year as well.
But why did the Steelers even want to give away a young receiver like Pickens?
The answer, according to general manager Omar Khan, comes down to one thing:
A fresh start for both.
"I wouldn't use the word 'disappointment.' We had three years with George. We had some exciting times. The fresh start for both sides was the best thing," Khan said, according to Brian Batko of Post-Gazette Sports.
Pickens instantly becomes one of the better WR2's in the division. He's a matchup that the Commanders will need to be concerned about going into 2025.
There's a reason why Pittsburgh wanted to move on, though.
Rumors of a rift between the Steelers locker room and Pickens have grown since the start of his rookie season. When head coach Mike Tomlin is done with a wide receiver, it's usually a sign of the player being too hard to handle.
It has happened with Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and many other receivers in the past few years alone. Chances are, the Cowboys are getting a receiver in a contract year that is volatile at best, and flat out toxic at worst.
Washington may have nothing to worry about in Dallas just yet.
