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George Pickens Is ‘99.9 Percent Perfect’ Move To Cowboys Optimism

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 11:51 AM ET

The Dallas Cowboys' offseason has been as good a one as some fans can remember, and the addition of receiver George Pickens tied everything up in a neat bow.

A free agency period that saw a host of starting-caliber players be signed, plus a superb draft haul, Brian Schottenheimer's first head coaching gig has gotten off to a hot start.

But the move for Pickens, to be CeeDee Lamb's running mate, gives Dak Prescott a dynamic one-two punch that some think can be one of the better tandems in football.

And for Pro Football Focus, George coming to Dallas is the reason fans can be optimistic heading into the 2025 season.

"Between Dak Prescott’s return to full strength and George Pickens’ arrival from Pittsburgh, Dallas should see improvement from last year’s passing-game performance," Pro Football Focus writes. "Assuming he is healthy, Prescott should be able to bounce back from a career-worst 67.2 PFF passing grade. Pickens tied for the NFL lead with a perfect 99.9 deep PFF receiving grade and could be a perfect complement to CeeDee Lamb in the receiving corps."

“Perfect” sounds good.

With the Cowboys addressing a host of issues this offseason, Pickens looms as perhaps the best acquisition for Schottenheimer, given what he can do for both the passing game and the run game, with defenses now less likely to stack the box to stop the run.

Why? Because Lamb and Pickens will be one-on-one, and Dak is the type of quarterback who can take advantage of it. Of course, there are skeptics with George's fiery nature and off-field issues, but they appear to be in check right now.

Once training camp begins and we see how Pickens looks with pads on, then we will get a true idea of what this offense can become.

Still, when Dallas traded for George, that lit the blue and white touchpaper and ignited a level of optimism we haven't seen for years.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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