In his time in the NFL, new Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens has been thrust to the top of just about every depth chart he’s been on. He was a second-round pick of the Steelers after an injury-marred career at Georgia in which he tore his ACL in his junior year, but quickly was inserted into the starting lineup for Pittsburgh and finished the year with 801 yards receiving.
The following year, he led the team with 1,169 yards receiving and 63 catches, and in 2024, though he had some notable run-ins with coach Mike Tomlin, he again led the Steelers with 59 catches and 900 yards receiving.
Coming to Dallas, though, the expectation is that Pickens will settle back into a WR2 role, with CeeDee Lamb still dominating the team’s receiver stats. Lamb, after all, has three straight seasons with 100-plus catches, even in 2024 when star quarterback Dak Prescott was injured and Lamb missed two games with injuries himself.
But Lamb, it turns out, is not looking at himself as the WR1 on this team.
CeeDee Lamb: ‘We Both Ones’
Speaking this weekend from Arizona, where Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was hosting his charity softball tournament, Lamb and Pickens were side-by-side and, per video from the DLLS Cowboys X account Lamb was vocal in support of Pickens’ arrival and status in Dallas.
“We both ones,” Lamb said while Pickens nodded. “It ain’t no A, B, none of that. It’s one. You look over there, you see one. You look over here, you see another one. So, do what you gotta do with that.”
That’s been something the Cowboys have not had in Lamb’s time with the team. When Lamb was a rookie, receiver Amari Cooper led the team with 92 catches, to 78 for Lamb, and in his second season, Lamb had 79 catches, with Cooper netting 68. But Cooper was traded after that, and his replacement–Brandin Cooks–could never establish consistency in Dallas.
Thus, Lamb had seasons of 107, 135 and 101 catches in his last three NFL years.
While Pickens is in the final year of his contract, and the Cowboys intend to let him play out his deal and go to free agency next offseason, there is a chance he could force his way into being a long-term piece.
Cowboys’ Dak Prescott ‘Excited’
If Lamb is excited about the addition, so is Prescott.
“We’ve connected,” Prescott said on 1310 The Ticket in Dallas last week. “I’m excited. You turn on the tape, you see a guy that can catch the football. You put the football anywhere in his vicinity, very strong hands, more than a 50-50 catcher. He thinks it’s his ball when it’s in the air. I’m excited for him. I know we needed some help at that position. I know that CeeDee (Lamb) needed some help. I think when you have a guy like that, it’s hard to double team two guys.
“And then when you have other guys, whether it be (Jake Ferguson), Jalen Tolbert, (Jonathan) Mingo, guys who have had reps and know how to get open in the league, I think we’re putting together a nice group of weapons.”
