Cowboys get cautious George Pickens update ahead of mandatory minicamp

The Dallas Cowboys and George Pickens still don't see eye-to-eye about a new deal.

The team has repeatedly stated it won't give him a new contract. While Pickens agreed to sign the franchise tag, he hasn't participated in team drills so far.

Even so, the team still expects him to be there when it counts. The Cowboys will host mandatory minicamp next week, and they believe their star wideout will be there.

That might as well be the case, but they may still not get the true Pickens yet. In an appearance on "The Cowboys Collective," Jon Machota of The Athletic shared an interesting update on the situation.

The Cowboys will ease George Pickens into things

“They still expect him to be there for mandatory minicamp,” Machota revealed. “But even like Dak was saying, when he is there, if he does show up, don’t expect him to just all of a sudden be with the 1s and doing everything. They don’t want him to do too much, and all of a sudden, he suffers a setback or some type of injury, and then all of a sudden, he is going to training camp with some type of issue. Even if he is there next week, don’t expect him to be doing a ton.”

Of course, it's not like the Cowboys need Pickens to be in top shape or to do much right now. If anything, they might be happy just to see that he's there and on board to play under the tag.

Pickens, on the other hand, might only be there to avoid a fine and, as an act of good faith, to get contract talks back on the table. Both parties have until July 15 at 4:00 p.m. ET to agree to a long-term contract extension.

The Cowboys have valid reasons to be worried about the long-term financial implications of a deal and Pickens' character. But after watching him post career numbers in his first year in Arlington, and given his temper, they may have no choice but to give him the deal he wants.