- Pickens has been slowly progressing: Despite working in one of many league’s least constant offensive environments in Pittsburgh, George Pickens has taken steps ahead in every of his first three seasons.
- Pickens lands in a a lot better scenario: The former Georgia receiver now joins a Cowboys offense that threw the ball on practically 64% of performs in 2024, a top-10 price league-wide and a big soar from Pittsburgh’s Twenty fifth-ranked go price.
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Estimated studying time: 3 minutes
The Dallas Cowboys are on the verge of buying vast receiver George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers in a deal centered round draft decide compensation, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The commerce is anticipated to be finalized later right this moment.
Pickens, a former second-round choice out of Georgia within the 2022 NFL Draft, brings a vertical ingredient to a Cowboys offense trying to increase its firepower alongside star pass-catcher CeeDee Lamb.
Despite working in one of many league’s least constant offensive environments in Pittsburgh, Pickens has taken steps ahead in every of his first three seasons. His 2024 marketing campaign was his best but, as he earned a career-high 78.6 PFF receiving grade, catching 64 of his 105 targets for 987 yards and 4 touchdowns. He averaged 2.11 yards per route run, twenty third amongst 112 qualifying receivers.
Pickens’ recreation is constructed on huge performs and vertical impression. He’s generated a 14.2-yard common goal depth since getting into the league, an 88th-percentile mark, and he has earned a 95.8 PFF grade on throws focused 10 or extra yards downfield, which ranks eleventh amongst 96 gamers with a minimum of 50 such targets.
His potential to trace the deep ball and win vertically stands out, particularly contemplating the challenges round him in Pittsburgh’s offense.
Those challenges have been important. Only 71.3% of Pickens’ targets over the previous three seasons have been charted as catchable, a determine that ranks simply 66th out of 104 qualifying receivers. Separation has additionally been tough to come back by — he’s created a step or extra of separation on simply 65.0% of his targets, and solely 44.1% in opposition to single protection — numbers that rank close to the underside of his peer group.
In Dallas, the surroundings might be markedly completely different. He now joins a Cowboys offense that threw the ball on practically 64% of performs in 2024, a top-10 price league-wide and a big soar from Pittsburgh’s Twenty fifth-ranked go price. More importantly, he’ll be catching passes from Dak Prescott, who has delivered an correct ball on 49.2% of his throws 10 or extra yards downfield since 2022—fifth-best amongst qualifying quarterbacks behind Joe Burrow, Geno Smith, Jared Goff and Jalen Hurts.
With extra quantity, extra accuracy and extra room to function, Pickens could possibly be poised for a profession 12 months in Dallas. If he capitalizes on his downfield strengths with Prescott delivering the ball, the Cowboys might have landed a high-upside WR2 with the potential to tilt the sphere each time he’s focused.