Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) celebrates a touchdown pass Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

NFC East WR rankings: George Pickens elevates Dallas Cowboys wide receivers

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Randy Gurzi | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 7:28 AM ET

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t get enough from Brandin Cooks in 2024, leaving CeeDee Lamb to do all the heavy lifting in the passing game.

That won’t be the case in 2025, however, since the Cowboys pulled off a massive trade. In need of a WR2, they wound up with George Pickens, who is arguably another WR1.

Pickens’ addition greatly improves the Cowboys’ passing attack, but is it enough for them to boast the No. 1 receiver corps in the NFC East? Let’s look around the division and answer that question.

4. Washington Commanders

Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel sound like a frightening duo, but Samuel isn’t the player he once was. There’s also not a lot to be concerned about behind them (sorry Noah Brown) which is why they’re last in the division despite the Samuel addition.

3. New York Giants

Malik Nabers is special. He had 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie, even with shaky quarterback play. He can carry the unit on his own, but Darius Slayton and Wan'Dale Robinson are better than they get credit for. Give them a full year without Daniel Jones, and they'll be seen as much better than Washington's receiving corps.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

We can debate whether or not A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are superior to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens all day. Seeing Pickens with a better quarterback will likely give Dallas the edge, but even if Philly could win that argument, they don’t have the depth behind their top two stars that the Cowboys do.

Jahan Dotson is fine but they then have Ainias Smith, Johnny Wilson, and Terrace Marshall. Philly has a great passing attack overall, but their running backs and tight ends are a huge reason for that.

1. Dallas Cowboys

This might seem like a “homer” pick but the Cowboys didn’t have terrible receivers in 2024, they just had far too many role players and not enough starters. Adding Pickens fixes this and allowed players such as Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, and Jonathan Mingo to move into more comfortable roles.

The Cowboys are suddenly deep at a position that was considered a weakness heading into the offseason.