Cowboys Send Message to NFC East With Pickens Trade

FRISCO — January was a rough month for Dallas Cowboys fans. They sat back and witnessed an NFC East demolition through the postseason, one that in no fashion involved their team. 

Instead, the Washington Commanders took out two division winners on the road in the NFC Playoffs, meeting up with the mighty Philadelphia Eagles in the conference championship. The Eagles dominated that game and would do more of the same in Super Bowl LIX. 

Nonetheless, the Commanders and the Eagles are widely considered two of the top teams, if not the top two in the conference heading into next season. Dallas, restarting things with a new head coach, has a wide gap to make up with their rivals. 

However, the last few weeks have shown there is at least some level of understanding around The Star about this deficit. 

This started with the draft where the Cowboys made an immediate commitment to the trenches with their first-round pick of right guard Tyler Booker. Through the rest of the draft, they made the picks that showed a commitment to a more stout defensive unit and a more formidable running game. 

Draft weekend demonstrated their direct counters to what their rivals do best while providing the tools for the Cowboys to enact some of that same punishment. 

But something was still missing. Looking at the roster, the clear hole was at receiver where this team lacked a strong No. 2 option. Early Wednesday morning, the Cowboys plugged that need with the trade for George Pickens. 

Granted, there are some attitude concerns here with Pickens, but make no mistake, the Cowboys have absolutely upgraded their offense. Pickens is an ideal compliment to Lamb and will open the field up with his ability to stretch the field. 

More than anything on the field, this trade drives the needle forward for the Cowboys and mirrors what the Commanders and Eagles have done in recent years. 

During free agency in 2024, the Eagles made an aggressive play to sign Saquon Barkley and the Commanders traded for Deebo Samuel back in March. 

These are loud roster-altering moves that send a message about a team's intentions. Fans have begged and pleaded for the Cowboys to act in a similar fashion. They have finally done it. 

Until they get to training camp, fans should expect the tired "games are not won on paper" cliché, which is correct. 

But what this offseason has shown is that the Cowboys are fully cognizant of their immediate challenges on the road back to prominence and they are countering them head-on.