FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' (2-2) offense is once again humming through the first quarter of the 2026 season.
Their Dak Prescott-led attack 30.5 points per game, and the most points per drive (3.39) in the league. Naturally, Prescott's numbers are elite: he ranks fifth in the league in EPA per dropback (0.24), fourth in completion percentage (70%), seventh in passing yards (1,065), tied for seventh in passing touchdowns (eight) and tied for seventh in passer rating (105.0).
CeeDee Lamb has been on the receiving end of much of that production, leading the league in catches (37), receiving yards (498) and receiving first downs (28). Those 498 yards receiving are the most through the first four games of a season in Cowboys history. But what about George Pickens?
Pickens has been a statistical casualty of Dallas' defensive struggles leading to the Cowboys having a league-low 36 drives this season. In 2026, playing alongside a healthy Lamb, Pickens has 225 yards receiving and no touchdowns on 18 catches through four weeks while averaging a career-low 12.5 yards per reception at the moment. However, Pickens is as valuable as ever if you ask the Cowboys.
"I think if you look at George last year, I don't know, you guys can look it up. I don't think he was putting up the insane numbers even till week four, five, six, whatever it was, because I think it's when CeeDee kind of went out, but George is learning the system as well. George easily could have had three catches for 180 yards in that game [on Sunday in the 34-30 win at the Houston Texans]," coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "He really could have. He caught one with his eyes covered, and he opens people up all the time."
Pickens' role in the 2026 Cowboys offense, often, is that of the sacrificial lamb (pun intended) or field stretcher to open things up in the intermediate areas of the field. Pickens has run 45 go routes this season, the second-highest frequency in the league behind only DK Metcalf's 47 per TruMedia. Despite his high number of vertical routes deep down the field, Prescott maintains they're not making Pickens play decoy over and over again, even though that's what it may look like to the naked eye.
"He's pulling two guys with him almost all the time, and I don't know if he's clearing guys out," Prescott said. "Those are all real routes, and if you want to leave one guy on them, I'm going to throw it to him. So that's just making the defense show us what they want to do. When we're sending them deep, as I said, if it's going to be one-on-one, I'm going to throw it down there [to Pickens]. If not, you've got to take another guy with him. and that gives us numbers advantage."
Prescott was true to his word on Sunday when Pickens finished with 75 yards receiving on two catches. His first catch of the day came deep down the left middle portion of the field for a 53-yard gain with 10:43 in the third quarter. The big play moved Dallas' offense from their own 36 to the Texans' 11. Nine plays later, Javonte Williams was in the end zone for one of his three rushing touchdowns that cut the Houston lead down to three, 23-20.
GEORGE PICKENS ‼️ 📺: #DALvsHOU on FOX 📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/XM2vIx7C1d pic.twitter.com/uA4UXgByqn
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) October 4, 2026
When Dallas acquired Pickens in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, many viewed him as temperamental after he appeared exasperated about not getting the football as the Steelers rotated through a revolving door of passers. His attitude has been anything but temperamental in Dallas. Some of that has to do with the knowledge that the Cowboys are trying to get him the football. Schottenheimer admitted he had a double move called for Pickens in which he was the No. 1 option on a play, but Prescott was hit in the pocket and couldn't get the throw downfield to him at that moment. What did Pickens do? He laughed it off. Only receiving three targets to Lamb's 21 on Sunday also didn't bother him because that happened to be Dallas' path to victory.
"It'd be different if we weren't giving him the opportunities or trying to, and if defenses weren't just respecting him and taking him away," Prescott said. "So he's a guy that's smart, understands the game of football and he knows when the defenses are playing him that way, the opportunity it gives other guys. So he's a hell of a teammate, and I've said that. ... That [Pickens' attitude] shows a guy that's celebrating everybody else's success who obviously wants success, but as long as the team wins and he's doing his job, he's happy. We can't be more thankful for guys like that and with guys with an attitude like that."
So, when will it be Pickens' turn? It could come as soon as tonight under the primetime lights at AT&T Stadium when the Cowboys host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-4) on "Thursday Night Football."
"What I'm going to say about George is, if you blink, you're going [have] put up 150 [on you]," Schottenheimer said. "There's no doubt about that one, but the greatest thing about George Pickens was no one was happier in that locker room after the win than George Pickens, no one. It tells you how much of a magnetic personality he has, how much he loves playing football."
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