One of the possibilities that has been floated for the Dallas Cowboys as they have a sort of reckoning after five games and just a disappointing 2-3 record has been whether it would be sensible to dip into their obvious wealth of offensive talent to bring back more defensive help and balance out a roster that is clearly weighted toward the passing game. With George Pickens heading into free agency next winter and with Ryan Flournoy showing some capability as a potential WR2 behind CeeDee Lamb, Pickens would be the obvious centerpiece in a trade.
Hey, how about Pickens for Maxx Crosby? A longshot, of course, but that is the type of move that has been floated. The Cowboys are low on NFL draft capital after making four major trades in the past year, so perhaps dangling a player–especially in the wake of Marvin Harrison Jr. being traded–makes some sense.
The Cowboys have said they’re open to changes and a shakeup of the roster. That would certainly qualify.
Cowboys Defense Not 1 Player Away
The problem is, the Cowboys defense has shown no signs that it is one player away from getting things turned around. The team has vowed to make changes, and brought in new consultant Mike Pettine on Monday, but it’s obvious, too, that this roster needs something of a cleanse. That might not be able to be done on the fly.
So if the Cowboys want to win games and perhaps the very weak NFC East, putting up a whole lot of points figures to be the way to do. And you need George Pickens for that.
George Pickens Should Stay Put
That’s the view from former Cowboys scout Bryan Broaddus, speaking on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Monday.
Broaddus noted that trading Pickens at this point would do more harm than good: “I wouldn’t now, because where I’m at, you’re gonna need this offense to win the division. So I need all hands on deck. If it goes south completely—the question that was asked of me is whether I would trade Pickens for Maxx Crosby right now and it was something I said I absolutely would do.
“But I am thinking right now, I am going to need my offense to win games, that’s my best route. I don’t think they’ll be able to fix the defense like they probably need to. So you’re just going to have to outscore people is what you’re gonna have to do.”
The Cowboys have a few days for more changes. They play the Packers on Sunday night in Green Bay.
Cowboys Advised on George Pickens Move Amid Shakeup