FRISCO, Texas — Four months separated the trade that brought George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys from the season opener at Philadelphia. He said Wednesday he was still learning the playbook when it arrived.
“Yeah, definitely a little bit of uncertainty. I was just saying first game with a new team, so learning all the plays, getting into a new game last year,” Pickens said. “So definitely, and I feel like the guys made me more welcome. So it wasn’t too bad as what I thought it was going to be, but I feel like definitely I could have been more comfortable.”
Dallas lost that game 24-20 on Thursday, Sept. 4. The Cowboys gained 307 total yards, 188 of them through the air.
Pickens went on to lead the team in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He played all 17 games and set career highs with 93 catches, 1,429 yards, and 9 scores, averaging 15.4 yards a reception. He made his first Pro Bowl and was named second-team Associated Press All-Pro.
What Changed For George Pickens In Cowboys Meeting Rooms
Pickens sat in the front row of meetings last year too. What he does there is different.
“Yeah. That’s definitely part of the process, I’ll say, just because when I’m sitting in the front row like last year, I’m definitely trying to learn,” Pickens explained. “Now I feel like I’ve learned enough to where I can reciprocate or give somebody else answers, one of the new guys, or probably tell the tight end, be off the ball here. When last year, I was just learning that I was supposed to be on the ball.”
The seat has not moved.
“No, I’ve always been in the front row,” Pickens said. “But just speaking way more now, just by being more comfortable.”
Brian Schottenheimer returns for a second season as head coach. So does offensive coordinator Klayton Adams. Dallas ranked second in the league in total yards in 2025 and seventh in scoring at 27.7 points per game, and brings back every offensive starter.
Pickens said Tuesday of last week that 17 or 18 games inside the same scheme have him super, super comfortable now.
The Last Time George Pickens Felt This Way About A Season
The comparison Pickens reached for was not an NFL one.
“High school, probably. Honestly,” Pickens said. “Like, when we’re throwing the ball and stuff like that. Yeah, definitely probably high school.”
Pickens played at Hoover High School in Alabama before Georgia, where he won the 2022 College Football Playoff national championship as a junior. Pittsburgh drafted him 52nd overall that spring.
Dallas acquired him on May 7, 2025, sending Pittsburgh a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick and taking back a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Pickens signed his franchise tender in late April, a one-year deal worth $27.3 million fully guaranteed. Dallas announced before the draft that it would not negotiate a long-term contract with him this offseason. The July 15 deadline for tagged players passed without an agreement. His contract cannot be extended until after the Cowboys’ final regular season game in January 2027.
Dallas opens Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, against the New York Giants. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
