When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys on May 7, the blockbuster move was met with backlash from Steeler Nation. Pickens was the team's leading receiver, and his talent was undeniable. Unfortunately, our initial doubts about the move already feel vindicated.
Pickens had an uneventful season-opener with the Cowboys in Week 1, but since then, the fourth-year wideout has been on a terror. In Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers, Pickens reeled in nine of 11 targets for 168 yards and a touchdown.
This came just two weeks after stringing together a game against the Green Bay Packers that consisted of eight receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns. Pickens has not only seen some of the highest yardage totals in his career, but he's somehow already surpassed his 2024 season total in touchdown receptions—earning six in as many weeks with Dallas.
Here's the worst part: Pickens hasn't just been good, he is on pace to have an All-Pro season for the Cowboys.
If you prorate his six-game production over a 17-game season, the young wide receiver is on track to finish with 91 receptions for 1,488 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. This would be, by far, the best statistical season we've seen from a Steelers wide receiver since Antonio Brown's 2018.
While sending Pickens packing already looks like a mistake, just remember that we could be looking at the calm before the storm.
The Pittsburgh Steelers needed to trade George Pickens, despite his immense talent
Pickens' talent was never in question during his first three years with the Pittsburgh Steelers; it was his attitude and antics that the team could no longer put up with.
From poor responses in media sessions to effortless route running and blocking on the field at times, there were too many moments where Pickens didn't give the Steelers what they needed out of their top wide receiver. And when he's performing as well as he has for the Cowboys, it's easy to forget about all of the headaches he caused in Pittsburgh.
Things are going right for Pickens at the moment, but that doesn't mean that he isn't going to wind up giving the Cowboys headaches of their own. With All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb missing action early in the season with a high ankle sprain, Pickens was given the added opportunity in the passing game—thus the major uptick in production.
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Lamb is scheduled to return to the field soon, and it's possible that Pickens' opportunities could get cut in half. If this happens, the Cowboys will have to deal with how he handles a diminished role. We also know that Pickens isn't pleased when his team loses, and considering Dallas just lost to the Panthers, there could be a lot more of that in his future.
Yes, it stings to see Pickens on pace for an All-Pro-level season, but it's not like the Steelers got nothing out of the trade. Though the DK Metcalf blockbuster move came months before Pickens was traded, general manager Omar Khan was essentially able to swap Pickens for Metcalf at the cost of a second and third-round pick swap.
George Pickens is still only 24 years old, and if he can keep his head on straight, the Dallas Cowboys could have a superstar for years to come. But regardless of how things turn out, we know the Pittsburgh Steelers needed to move on from him, despite his immense talent.