The Pittsburgh Steelers' choice to trade burgeoning wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys this past offseason continues to age horrifically. To make matters worse, a feature piece from ESPN's Todd Archer and Jeremy Fowler poured salt into the gaping wound.
Archer and Fowler peeled back the curtains on Pickens' downfall with the Steelers and corresponding rise with the Cowboys. The story did an excellent job of highlighting what went wrong in Pittsburgh and how Dallas has course-corrected a promising career at a crossroads.
Pickens is still a little rough around the edges, as demonstrated by a recent opening drive benching. Nevertheless, the Cowboys have figured out how to manage his personality while maximizing the elite skills he possesses. The aforementioned game was a prime example, with him catching nine passes for 144 yards and a touchdown after getting punished.
Dallas is getting the full Pickens experience -- unlike Pittsburgh. The Steelers never mastered handling the well-chronicled character concerns or utilizing him to the best of his abilities, let alone balancing the two.
Pittsburgh is seeing what could've happened if they played their Pickens cards right. In due course, a contract extension in the "$30 million-and-up [annually] range," according to Archer and Fowler, may represent the Steelers' wrongdoings.
Cowboys' exposing of Steelers could be sealed with massive George Pickens extension
What exactly are the Cowboys doing so differently? Pickens was "a child" who "struggled with the maturity part," as a Steelers source described him, in Pittsburgh. How did he soar to ascending star status in Dallas so quickly?
By the sound of it, the Cowboys have embraced Pickens' quirks rather than trying to change him. They realized the bark is worse than the bite, and he and first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer connected instantly upon getting to know each other.
Tardiness has been an issue that Schottenheimer has recognized. He and the Cowboys have put up with it for the most part and addressed the matter accordingly when necessary. They understand this comes with his outstanding play and doesn't make him any less "fired up" to be in Dallas:
"'[Pickens] might miss a team bus or be late on occasion, but [the Cowboys] can live with that,' a Cowboys source said, noting Dallas hasn't made a big deal out of the fines," Fowler and Archer wrote. "'He's been a hard worker and has been accountable, and that's been the important part.'"
Where was that mindset when Pickens donned the black and gold? Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott has brought the "stability" under center he didn't have in Pittsburgh, both on and off the field.
In three seasons with Pittsburgh, Pickens notoriously caught passes from five different starting signal-callers. Not only was there uncertainty about who'd be tossing him the ball, but also surrounding the quality of said throws. Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields aren't a murderer's row of options, to say the least.
From a talent standpoint, the upgrade from the mish-mash of names in Pittsburgh to Prescott cannot be overstated. However, Pickens "respects" him, and his leadership has reportedly been "a key" to unlocking the mercurial yet electrifying wideout.
"[Prescott] has a unique way of knowing when to keep a guy accountable and knowing when to pull off, so when Dak speaks, George will listen," a Cowboys source told ESPN.