George Pickens is letting the reigning Super Bowl champions know he’s coming. Pickens, the newest Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, let it be known that he and CeeDee Lamb lining up next to each other won’t be easy to stop at all. Even if the Philadelphia Eagles fielded one of the best defenses last season and has been running the NFC East.
“There’s no, ‘he gets the ball, I get the ball.’ We’re working off each other,” Pickens said, according to Cowboys reporter Jon Machota. “That’s why I always come back to building a winning culture. And that’s kinda what we’ve been talking about in Dallas.”
That’s the type of energy Pickens needs to bring to this Cowboys team. The Cowboys have gotten complacent in the NFC East. The Eagles showed them why they need to find a fire to compete in what could be a tough division. Pickens is bringing the fire that could ignite this Cowboys team to return to the playoffs after a one-year hiatus.
Pickens didn’t directly call out the Eagles, though. That’s good too, because he’s putting the entire division on notice that the Cowboys are back! If you ask Cowboys fans themselves, of course, they’ve always been back.
Talk is cheap, though. The Cowboys need more than just Pickens doing what he does best, which is talking. They need actual results this season. The pressure on Dak Prescott this season couldn’t be any bigger. Pickens just added to that.
George Pickens’ mentality with the Dallas Cowboys is a step in the right direction
Pickens putting the NFC on high alert about what to expect from the new Cowboys offense is one thing. But what really stood out is he seems to be putting his selfish attitude aside for the team.
Admittedly, this is a surprising attitude considering that, last season in Pittsburgh, he was more focused on getting the ball than he was the fact that the Steelers were winning. Maybe the trade humbled him. If so, that’s even better news for the Cowboys.
His approach has felt like it’s been centered around him getting the ball. He can’t have that attitude in Dallas. But what he can do is accept the role he’s given. For now, that role is to be ready to make an impact if Lamb is taken out of the game.
If Pickens’ attitude doesn’t become a problem, then he and Lamb together in this offense might just deliver the Cowboys the playoff success they've been waiting on for 30 years. This offense will lean on Pickens and he, in turn, won't be worried about getting the ball but making an impact anyway he can.
He’s saying all the right things now, but when Prescott is throwing the ball all over the field and the offense is struggling, will he keep that same attitude? Or will he revert back to his old ways?
The Cowboys' success is largely in Pickens’ hands. Now it seems like that’s a good thing, but he hasn’t played a snap yet with his new team. A lot can change by then.