The Pittsburgh Steelers offseason was a whirlwind to put it bluntly. Every time it seemed that their direction was clear, they did something to turn things on its head. There is no better example than adding Jalen Ramsey from the Miami Dolphins, only to send Minkah Fitzpatrick back the other way in the trade.
While that move still likely favors the Steelers (adding Jonnu Smith helps), the decision to add DK Metcalf only to ship off George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys may have been even more of a head-scratcher. Why bring in an older, more expensive deep-threat when you already had one on the roster?
The simple answer is something that Dallas may already be finding out just one day into training camp.
Dak to George Pickens pic.twitter.com/ZLMn6eXnXM
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 22, 2025
George Pickens fumbles during his first Cowboys practice
The above video, posted by Jon Machota of The Athletic, is another example of the lack of discipline that ultimately led to Pickens' departure from the Steelers. He makes a good catch and makes some defenders miss, but ultimately has the play undone by a fumble.
Many will look at the play and say that it was blown dead and that it's not even full contact, and I don't disagree. However, it's the small details about being a great NFL player that the former second-round pick has struggled with since entering the league.
For every incredible catch or dynamic play with the ball in his hands, there are just as many missed blocks or untimely drops/fumbles. That is something the Steelers felt they could no longer afford to deal with, but he has an opportunity to prove them wrong in Dallas.
With Dak Prescott as his QB and CeeDee Lamb drawing plenty of coverage, there is no reason for 2025 not to be his best season as a pro. Doing so would give him a chance to get the next mega-deal at receiver, with a salary north of $30 million a real possibility.
He has all the talent in the world, but early signs suggest he may still be the same flawed player that couldn't convince the Steelers he was worth investing in long-term.