All in all, during his stint as the Dallas Cowboys head coach, Brian Schottenheimer has mostly been a builder of bridges, a likeable and sometimes emotional leader for a team that has taken multiple lumps in the past year. So, it is only natural that Schottenheimer, with star receiver George Pickens opting not to participate in the team’s offseason program to date, is brushing off the absence as not a big deal.
The Cowboys are in the midst of their OTAs this week, having started them on Monday, and Pickens has been a no-show. There is nothing wrong with that, of course, as the OTAs are voluntary. The Cowboys will have another set of them next week, going on June 8-9, with another media day on June 11. Pickens almost certainly won’t be present for that.
Schottenheimer did say he expects Pickens to show up for the team’s mandatory minicamp, which will be held June 16-18.
Cowboys Players Get ‘Connection’ at OTAs
But Schottenheimer was asked at the Cowboys’ Thursday practice, what he thinks Pickens might be missing by not being on hand during this time of year.
His answer was thoughtful, and here’s the full context: “More than anything there is the connection piece that is the most important thing to me. This is the time of year where these guys are training, the workouts are a little bit longer, it is more about the strength and weight room program than even the football, quite honestly, working through Phase 1 and Phase 2.
“I’ve always believed this, and this has got nothing to do with a single player—how do you prove to your teammates that you are doing everything in your power to be the best version of yourself? I have no question that George is preparing just like I had no question Micah (Parsons) was going to prepare, or whoever. It’s voluntary. But that’s the biggest thing to me, it’s not really the scheme. GP will learn some of the language and stuff that we do, with he and Dak throwing and things like that, the relationship he has with CeeDee, Joe Milton and all those guys. I don’t worry about that.
“But more than anything it’s just the connection piece. We’ve got a lot of new faces on defense and some new ones on offense. But that’s probably the biggest thing if you’re not attending the offseason program that you miss out on. Doesn’t mean you can’t make it up.”
George Pickens Not Happy With Contract Approach
Pickens probably would prefer to be in the building as the team is going through the workout program–as Schottenheimer referenced, he has formed tight bonds with his Cowboys teammates in the 13 months since he was traded from Pittsburgh. But his sitting out is a sort of protest of the way the Cowboys treated his free agency this offseason, shutting down negotiations on a long-term deal and simply dropping the franchise tag on him.
Pickens signed the tag, which will pay him $27 million over this season. But he clearly did not like the fact that he had almost no alternatives. Thus, Cowboys OTAs will proceed next week, without him.
Cowboys Coach Sends Clear Message to George Pickens Amid Absences