Report expands on how CeeDee Lamb is helping with George Pickens' assimilation to Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys made a significant post-draft splash when they acquired mercurial wide receiver George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers before Dallas began organized team activity workouts on May 19. 

For a piece published on Tuesday, ESPN's Todd Archer touched upon how Pickens and fellow Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb have been getting along early into their working relationship. 

"Pickens' assimilation to the Cowboys has been smooth," Archer wrote. "It helps that he and Lamb have a previous relationship. They have worked out together over the years and have respected each other from afar. Recently, they attended the charity softball game held by Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. At last week's OTA that was open to the media, they were constantly connected, either working on the Jugs machine during the special teams' portion of the workout or between plays."

It was at that charity softball game when Lamb insisted that he and Pickens are both No. 1 receivers on the Dallas roster. Such a comment indicated Lamb would be fine with some of his touches going to Pickens this coming fall. That's important considering Pickens developed a reputation for growing frustrated over a lack of targets during his Pittsburgh tenure that ran from the 2022 draft through this past season. 

While Lamb received a four-year, $136M deal from the Cowboys last summer, it appears Pickens will play for Dallas while in the final year of his rookie contract. It also seems that first-year Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer is hoping Lamb will help keep Pickens on his best behavior through at least January 2026. 

"Pickens came to the Cowboys with some questions after his three years with the Steelers," Archer noted. "Tardiness was an issue. Outbursts on the field and sidelines were an issue." 

Also on Tuesday, The Athletic's Jon Machota mentioned that "Dallas believes it has the ideal culture for Pickens to thrive" while working with Lamb and Schottenheimer. If that proves to be the case, the one-two punch of Lamb and Pickens could guide the Cowboys to a fourth playoff appearance over five seasons after Dallas finished a disappointing 2024 campaign at 7-10.