The Dallas Cowboys needed a WR2, and they got one by dealing for George Pickens, who was formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pickens is on the final year of his rookie deal and has a lot to prove if he wants WR1 money on the free-agent market next offseason, or an extension in Dallas. For the Cowboys, the price was right – a future third-round pick and fifth-round pick – to take their offense to the next level. CeeDee Lamb is buying into the hype.
Lamb and Pickens were in attendance at Kyler Murray's celebrity softball game. When asked about how he and Pickens would share touches from quarterback Dak Prescott, Lamb suggested that the duo were both No.1 wide receivers.
Cowboys fans have jumped on the George Pickens bandwagon
This – and I cannot stress this enough – is not the case. Pickens was the No. 1 wide receiver in Pittsburgh because there were no better options. The second the Steelers traded for DK Metcalf, a player who isn't the caliber of Lamb, Pickens was downgraded to WR2. By no means am I defending the Steelers decision to trade Pickens without a replacement in mind, but the Georgia product had time to prove he was among the NFL's elite. He's incredibly capable and a Pro Bowl talent, but he's not that guy.
Of course, it didn't take long for Cowboys fans to jump on the bandwagon once Lamb's comment went viral.
"Yeah no defense can guard these two. It’s wraps for the league," Landry J wrote.
"First time I’ve been excited about the Cowboys in awhile," Dwight Powell said. I also find that hard to believe.
"Defenses around the NFL are worried. Trust me," another user named Andrew said.
George Pickens is not CeeDee Lamb, and won't be with the Cowboys
There were plenty more where that came from. Pickens should pair well with Lamb, but there is no doubting who the best wide receiver on the Cowboys truly is. Lamb has recorded over 1,000 yards receiving each of the past four seasons. Even last year, when he played just 15 games (many of those came without Prescott), he built out an established route tree and caught 101 balls for 1,194 yards from the likes of Cooper Rush and Trey Lance. Those are better numbers than Pickens has ever put up.
It's all sunshine and rainbows for the Cowboys prior to training camp, but the real difference between Lamb and Pickens is how they're perceived in the locker room. The Steelers had enough of Pickens drama, with several reporters suggesting as much since the trade to Dallas. Mark Kaboly went as far as saying players fans wouldn't expect had a major issue with Pickens attitude. Are we expected to believe that'll change in Dallas?
Lamb is a lot of things, but he's not disruptive. Cowboys fans can hardly pin their failure to him. Pickens is a deep threat and can make plays on the ball with the best of them, especially near the sidelines. Lamb can do it all, including line up in the slot – where he excels – and make himself a weapon anywhere on the field.
That represents a major difference between the two.