As a former star wide receiver himself, former All-Pro and Pro Bowler Steve Smith knows the ins and outs of being a top target in the league. He was never traded himself, but he was shopped more than once for a deal by one of his old teams, the Panthers. And for Smith, it would make some sense for the Cowboys to put George Pickens on the NFL trade market–with the Kansas City Chiefs his ultimate destination.
Seven games into his second season with the Cowboys, Pickens is coming off a game in Philadelphia in which he made an outstanding catch on the sideline for a key touchdown in Dallas’ 38-21 win over the Eagles. He finished with four catches on six targets and 57 yards, running his season total to 37 catches on 485 yards. That puts Pickens on pace for 90 catches and 1,178 yards this season.
Questions Loom on George Pickens
Obviously, that is a very good year for any receiver. But for the Cowboys, Pickens is seen as having taken a step back over the course of this season, especially after he went for 93 catches and 1,429 yards last season. Pickens was openly criticized for his blocking by coach Brian Schottenheimer this week, and saw his snap count drop from 69 in Week 6 to 41 in Week 7. With Pickens looking at free agency in just four months, it’s uncertain what the future is for this arrangement.
Smith, on the ESPN morning show “Get Up,” says the Cowboys could–or even should–ship him out to help out the Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Said Smith: “George Pickens a boundary receiver, that could really help them get that down the field threat. … Ultimately, what we learned about Kansas City is they need someone that can dictate coverage that can really move the football. Because that puts everything on Patrick Mahomes, if you just put everything on Patrick Mahomes, like we saw against a really good team like the Super Bowl champs, that is going to be problematic.”
How Much Cowboys Faith in Ryan Flournoy?
Of course, it would be problematic, too, for the Cowboys to move on from Pickens and elevate Ryan Flournoy to the No. 2 receiver’s role alongside CeeDee Lamb. Flournoy has been good, and eventually, a No. 2 role could be suitable for him.
He had four catches for 70 yards on Monday, but he is not quite a Pickens replacement, not yet. The Cowboys have made clear that, despite their best efforts to fix the defense, it is going to be the offense that carries this bunch. In that regard, dealing away Pickens does not make much sense.
Cowboys George Pickens Trade Floated by Ex-All Pro