There have been a significant numbers of explanations to emanate from The Star in recent weeks to explain the relative drop in production from Dallas Cowboys star receiver George Pickens this season. Pickens was the talk of the NFL last season, when he was dealt from Pittsburgh and broke out with 93 catches and 1,429 yards receiving, the fourth-most in a single season in Cowboys history. This year, the numbers are down, and the Cowboys have suggested that is because teams are double-teaming him, because he has a hamstring injury and because Dak Prescott has simply found fellow star receiver CeeDee Lamb more often.
But the counterpoint has been made, too, whether it’s to coach Brian Schottenheimer, owner Jerry Jones or EVP Stephen Jones: Other teams find a way to get the ball to their best playmakers, even if he is double-covered or even if someone else is open. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that the Cowboys don’t get the ball to Pickens enough. And they should change that.
Klayton Adams Wants Cowboys to Get More George Pickens Going
Now, for the first time, the call to get Pickens more involved is coming from inside the Cowboys house: Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, who does not call the plays (Schottenheimer does), said on Thursday in his meeting with the media that Dallas should get Pickens more involved, and should do so earlier in games.
Pickens, according to Todd Archer of ESPN, has two catches for 29 yards in the first quarter of the past five Cowboys games.
Said Adams: “I think a little bit of it (is) unlucky, a little bit of it (is) we got to design stuff that forces the issue to him,. And then sometimes when we do, we got to make more happen with it than just an incompletion or a 3- or 4-yard game. The goal is to score a touchdown regardless of who you’re getting the ball to, but he’s definitely somebody that we would love to have get the ball to and get going early.”
Pickens is dealing with a hamstring injury that has forced Dallas to roll back his snap count the past two weeks. He has also seen his name bubble up in trade rumors, but Klayton would not support moving on from him.
He said, even if the Cowboys are not showing it, Pickens is important: “Extremely. He’s a premium playmaker in the NFL. I’ve never been on a team where we have one of them, let alone two.”
Cowboys Coach Calls for George Pickens Change