Former Cowboys HC names 'key' to getting the best out of WR George Pickens

It's widely assumed the Pittsburgh Steelers traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys largely because Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin no longer wanted to deal with headaches caused by the wide receiver. 

During a Wednesday appearance on the "Pro Football Talk Live" program, former Cowboys head coach and current NBC Sports NFL analyst Jason Garrett said that "the key to navigating the potential challenges that could arise" from Dallas acquiring Pickens is quarterback Dak Prescott. 

"Prescott, as coach Garrett explained it, has the ability to form the proper relationship with Pickens. To get Pickens to buy in," PFT's Mike Florio shared. "To get Pickens to focus on the task at hand, one game and one drive and one play at a time. To achieve the right level of comfort and trust so that Prescott can take full advantage of Pickens' skills."

Going back to the 2023 season, Pickens picked up a reputation for appearing annoyed about a perceived lack of targets during games. The 24-year-old in the final year of his rookie contract will now be a No. 2 target with Dallas behind one-time First-Team All-Pro selection CeeDee Lamb. 

That said, Prescott will immediately become the best quarterback Pickens has had since he entered the league via the 2022 draft. No disrespect to the likes of Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, but Prescott became a 2023 Most Valuable Player Award finalist while working with current head coach Brian Schottenheimer when Schottenheimer was Dallas' offensive coordinator.

"If/when defenses devote extra resources to Lamb," Florio added, "Pickens will enjoy single coverage. It could all go really well. It also could implode. Prescott will be the most important figure in making it work more often than it doesn’t."

Prescott may not be able to prevent Pickens from committing multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties during a contest. It's also worth noting that a QB1 shouldn't be tasked with convincing a teammate to show up to games on time. 

However, Clarence Hill of All City DLLS reported on Wednesday that Pickens is not looking to do a contract extension before the 2025 season and instead "wants to show he’s a top guy." Perhaps that update shows Pickens understands he needs to do everything possible over the next eight months or so to take advantage of this fresh start.