'I kind of forgot' - George Pickens says exactly what Cowboys Nation wants to hear ahead of NFL Kickoff vs Eagles

Though the Micah Parsons trade continues to dominate the Dallas Cowboys' news cycle, there's a football game to be played on Thursday night. And it happens to be against America's Team's bitter rival, the Philadelphia Eagles.

So now the team and its fans turn the page. After all, the NFL grants no bereavement. The good news is there's an important someone on the team who is a good example of moving on and that's wide receiver George Pickens, who was asked by reporters on Monday if his trade to Dallas was now a distant memory.

"Oh yeah [it seems forever ago now]," Pickens said. "Especially with how close I got to these guys. I kind of forgot [about the trade]."

Pickens' message is exactly what Cowboys fans want to hear because they need him to be locked in

It's a simple response and a rather unsurprising one—Pickens clearly got along with CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, and other teammates right from the get go. But it's exactly what Cowboys Nation wants to hear ahead of the NFL Kickoff.

Truthfully, the Cowboys aren't a better team compared to last year. At least not on paper if you compare them position by position. In many positions, they got downgraded. Parsons is gone but so is Jourdan Lewis, Rico Dowdle, and Zack Martin. DeMarvion Overshown won't be back until late November and the jury is still out on multiple position groups.

But there's one area they unequivocally got a major upgrade. And that's wide receiver through Pickens' arrival. The Cowboys have a chance to field an elite passing game as a result of it. And to do so, he needs to have moved on from Pittsburgh. Clearly, he has.

Not to mention, Cowboys fans need him to forget about the "troublemaker" label placed on him from his days as with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He appears to have done so as well.

"You always want to make a good first impression anywhere you go," Pickens admitted. "But honestly, I’ve been the same way I was in Pittsburgh. I just feel like when the media drives a certain narrative, it can really take off and grow."

Pickens is excited about playing on Brian Schottenheimer's scheme

Pickens, however, prefers to talk with catches and yards after the catch rather than with words. On Thursday night, he will perform with a Star on his helmet for the first time ever. He expects a quick start for the offense.

Though Pickens makes no promises about reaching his full potential just yet, he believes the NFL world and its fans are getting what they want: He playing on a different scheme.

"I’d probably say it’s definitely in a different scheme, and that’s probably what they always wanted to see," Pickens said. " other people, fans of different teams, they definitely want to see me in a different scheme."

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