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FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens moved well in Thursday’s practice, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Friday, two days before Dallas hosts the San Francisco 49ers.
Pickens was a limited participant Wednesday and Thursday with a hamstring injury, according to the Cowboys’ official injury report. He was inactive for the 27-23 win at Indianapolis on Nov. 8.
Schottenheimer spoke before Friday’s practice at The Star in a press conference the Cowboys streamed on YouTube. Friday’s final injury report, with game designations for Sunday, comes after practice and after Schottenheimer’s availability.
Schottenheimer gave the update right after one on cornerback Joey Porter Jr., and he said Pickens left the same kind of impression Thursday.
“I thought same thing,” Schottenheimer said. “George moved well yesterday, so that was a good thing to see.”
What Dallas Needs To See From George Pickens
Friday’s work is about repeating what Pickens showed a day earlier. Schottenheimer said the running and cutting from Thursday is the standard, with another look at Pickens on the field still to come.
“Again, just watch him run around and do the things I saw yesterday,” Schottenheimer explained. “So again, we saw some great things yesterday, but again, it’s more running, cutting, and things like that that we saw yesterday, and see how he does today.”
Dallas kept Pickens through the trade deadline.
Schottenheimer’s Call Sheet Plan For Game-Time Decisions
As the play caller, Schottenheimer builds two versions of a personnel package when a key player’s status is open. He kept the answer general rather than tying it to Pickens.
“Again, I won’t even make this specific about George. I’ll just make it specific in general,” Schottenheimer said. “You have to be ready to adjust. We have a number of different ways that we can tag our personnel groupings that move people around.”
“So, if you’re talking about a running back or you’re talking about a tight end, you’ve got the primary personnel grouping that you’re ready to go with. It’s kind of the design of what you want it to be, and then you’ve got the secondary one for whatever reason that is,” Schottenheimer continued. “Maybe it’s the second time you run it. Maybe it’s something, hey, we’re not sure about this player.”
“So, it’s a little bit more of a task during the week and on game day,” Schottenheimer added. “Once the game day decision is made, it’s a little easier to make those adjustments because they’re usually laying there on the call sheet for you.”
Tight end Jake Ferguson and running back Tyler Goodson did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, and Schottenheimer said Monday that both will miss multiple weeks. Receiver KaVontae Turpin was limited both days with a ribs injury, and receiver Jonathan Mingo did not practice either day with an ankle injury.
Dallas (4-5) hosts San Francisco (7-1) at 3:25 p.m. CT Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, with the game on Fox.
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