Heading into the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday this week, there were numerous reports and speculative suggestions that teams around the league were trying to get Cowboys star George Pickens out of Dallas. The logic behind the speculation was clear–Pickens is on a one-year, franchise-tag contract, heading into free agency, and at 4-5, the Cowboys are a disappointment. The fact that Dallas has only four picks in next year’s NFL draft did not help, as there were presumptions that the Cowboys might want to recoup some value on Pickens and give themselves another crack at adding a player in April.
But Stephen Jones, the team’s EVP and COO, said that speculation on Pickens was overblown. The Cowboys, Jones said, got no calls on Pickens at all.
No Calls on George Pickens
As Jon Machota, Cowboys beat writer for The Athletic, pointed out on Friday: “Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones on @1053thefan said he’s not surprised that no teams called them during the trade deadline about WR George Pickens. ‘No. They know we like our football team. We have resolve that we can get back in this thing. There’s a lot of football left to be played. I think a lot of people know what we think of George and (what we think about our offense).’”
The Cowboys, after getting 93 catches and 1,429 yards from Pickens in 2025, have gotten much less from him thus far this year. Pickens missed Week 9, and has a total of 39 catches for 533 yards.
Cowboys Facing Injury Woes
The big question around Pickens now is whether he will play in the Cowboys’ big Week 10 meeting with the 49ers. He is dealing with a hamstring issue, but came off the injured list on Friday. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is the other question mark–he has an ankle issue.
The Cowboys also have injuries to DeMarvion Overshown and Donovan Ezeiruaku.
Coach Brian Schottenheimer said Friday: “A lot like last week, today we will go out there and we’ve got a bunch of guys kind of dealing with some stuff. They’re bumped around a little bit. I think George and JPJ moved around really good yesterday so I think that’s really good for us. D-Mo is doing great. Ezeiruaku is on there, we’ll see. We’ve got a lot of guys that need to move around and, it’s this time of the year. You’re getting into middle of November and this is what you’re kind of dealing with, and it is around the league. …
“This is the time of year you pay a lot of attention to the injury report around the league.”
The 49ers and Cowboys kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET in Arlington.
Cowboys Reveal Truth on George Pickens Trade