New Dallas Cowboys wide receiver duo earns encouraging praise

The Dallas Cowboys made a major move this offseason, trading a selection of draft picks to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for wide receiver George Pickens.

The move not only filled a major hole for the Cowboys in terms of giving them a downfield threat, but it also gave Dak Prescott another much-needed weapon on the outside and supplied the team with a player that they hope can take pressure off of CeeDee Lamb in the passing game.

In fact, according to Pro Football Focus' Dalton Wasserman, there might not have realistically been a better player Dallas could have brought in to complement Lamb than Pickens.

"This offense has always operated best when they have a vertical threat that opens up the space to allow CeeDee Lamb to work underneath," Wasserman said on PFF's NFL Show. "I still think to this day, I think (the Cowboys) are the winners right now of the George Pickens trade... He was one of five receivers in the NFL with a perfect 99.9 deep receiving grade. The threat that Pickens gives you one-on-one deep down the field is going to open things up for Lamb underneath. And I don't think you could pick two receivers that complement each other better than those two."

And based on what Pickens was able to do during his time in Pittsburgh, Wasserman might be right.

Since the 2022 season, Pickens has ranked third in the NFL in receiving yards on vertical passing routes behind only Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson with 1,630 yards. He is also the only player in the NFL to average 16 yards per catch in combination with at least 2,000 yards receiving over that time.

And adding that next to a receiver like Lamb, who is a three-time NFL All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, and has 38 touchdowns and over 6,000 yards to his name already, certainly creates a combo deserving of worry, regardless of the opponent.