Mina Kimes says Dallas Cowboys duo will be a ‘nightmare’, says teams have to make ‘difficult decisions’

They made a headline-making addition to their roster this offseason however, which has caused ESPN’s Mina Kimes to believe in their offense for the upcoming season. 

Mina Kimes says CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens will be a ‘nightmare’ for NFL defenses

The Dallas Cowboys traded for George Pickens this offseason, sending a third and a fifth-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pickens is a controversial wide receiver. 

While nobody questions his raw talent, non-football issues have prevented him from being mentioned among the league’s top pass catchers. He was often late, most notably to the Steelers’ Christmas Day game against the Chiefs, showed a consistent lack of effort and was a wildcard on the field with dramatic outbursts. 

But Kimes said that Pickens’ talent alone, paired with Lamb off the back of a great year, is enough to trouble opposing defenses. On the Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny, she said, “George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb on the field at the same time are a nightmare.

She continued, “I know everyone says that’s dependent on you getting ‘good George Pickens’. And ok sure, but if you’re a defense you’re anticipating it’s the George Pickens that consistently wins down the sideline, and now you have to deal with him and CeeDee Lamb.”

Lamb logged 1,194 yards on 101 catches last season. That’s a way off his 1,749 yard season a year prior, but those are impressive numbers without Prescott from week nine onwards. Lamb is one of the NFL’s best wide receivers, and arguably the best.

And Kimes had some numbers to demonstrate Lamb’s elite output.

She said, “Last year alone, when Lamb was playing with Cooper Rush, versus single high coverage CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens were respectively fourth and eighth in yards per game. In the last three years on deep balls they were third and fifth in deep catches. 

“As a defense, the pure math of having to deal with both of these two players and a quarterback who is capable of delivering them the ball accurately and is aggressive, you have to make difficult decisions from the jump when playing these two wide receivers.”

Prescott, capable of huge passing games, will be key. If he returns healthy and in-form, the sky is literally the limit on deep throws down the sideline.

Dallas Cowboys made moves to fix rushing game woes

The addition of Pickens does nothing to combat the Cowboys’ glaring issue from last season – their run game. They were the 27th ranked team in total rushing yards and last in rushing touchdowns.

They did make additions to fix this, as Dallas drafted Jaydon Blue out of Texas and signed Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders in free agency. That probably won’t fix the problem, but it will certainly provide some level of threat on the ground. 

While the Cowboys covered up some holes in the run game offensively, defensively, they allowed the fourth-most rushing yards in the NFL. 

They brought in former Chicago Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus as Defensive Coordinator, which former NFL offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse thinks will help their defensive front. 

Newhouse said, “The Eberflus effect will have an impact on this defense. For the longest time, they had a four-man front, and they moved Micah Parsons around, and they used linebackers to fill the gaps. 

He continued, “The Eberflus influence will make them more gap sound, which will allow predictability. You just didn’t know what gaps guys were in last year, which led to so many explosive plays. 

“At the very least, if they play more sound on the interior, it’s going to allow them to be in more manageable third-down scenarios. That’s going to get them off the field.”

If the Cowboys can become league average in rushing on both ends of the ball, they can return to playoff contention with a healthy Prescott, Lamb and the newly acquired Pickens in the pass game.