One of the comforting notions about Dallas Cowboys star receiver George Pickens having dodged the entirety of the team’s offseason program to date has been the assurance that Pickens has been in good hands in recent months, hanging out with fellow star receiver CeeDee Lamb and going through workouts with quarterback Dak Prescott. We’ve heard it time and again from coach Brian Schottenheimer, that there’s nothing to worry about when it comes to Pickens, who was a free agent heading into the offseason but was given a franchise tag deal (one year and $27 million) by the Cowboys.
“I expect he’ll be here (for next week’s minicamp), and I think he’s in a good spot,” Schottenheimer said. “I know he’s handling his business, and I know he misses his teammates. We miss him, too. You guys know how we feel about him. We love him, and this is just part of the business.”
Cowboys’ Dak Prescott Worked Out With George Pickens
The one problem for the Cowboys is that the workouts with Prescott were not at all as intense or frequent as the team might have hoped.
As Clarence Hill of DLLS Cowboys noted on Twitter/X: “Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has not throw with WR George Pickens since at least April. And there have been no more than 2 or 3 sessions all offseason.”
And while there has been a presumption that Pickens would be at The Star next week for minicamp, the Cowboys have tempered their expectations on that–there is a lot more “we hope” Pickens will be in place rather than “we expect” him to show up.
Prescott said he has not talked to Pickens about his attendance, but he did say that even if Pickens comes, he probably won’t practice. “Even if he’s in, I doubt it’s a full, he’s going full go, jumping in the team,” Prescott said, via the team’s site.
Dak Prescott on George Pickens: ‘He’s Fine’
But Prescott said that, even if his sessions with Pickens were limited, they were still valuable. The Cowboys might not get Pickens in place for minicamp, but Prescott will be ready for him once training camp starts.
“They were great,” Prescott said. “George is George. He’s great, he’s awesome. The personality, excitement, his energy was consistent, consistent as it’s been those times that I got to throw with him. Just even communicating with him through phone as we have these last couple of weeks, George is great. I’m excited about where he’s going to be. I’m excited about when he gets in and the work that we’re going to have to build off of. George is George, and he’s fine.”
Cowboys Holding Firm on Contract
Pickens, of course, went for a career-high 93 catches and 1,426 yards last year, after the Cowboys traded for him following three mostly disappointing seasons with the Steelers. After that performance, Pickens was looking for a major long-term contract with the Cowboys, but Dallas quickly shut that down by saying they would not entertain negotiations on a deal for Pickens.
Pickens sought a trade or a contract from another team this winter, but did not get an offer, leaving him little choice but to sign the franchise tag. The Cowboys could still negotiate a long-term deal with him until July 15, but again, they’ve said they’re not going that route.
Truth of Cowboys’ Dak Prescott-George Pickens Workouts Raises Concerns