The Dallas Cowboys are struggling in epic fashion, and if their offense starts playing like their miserable defense, things could get even worse.
Off to a 2-4 start following a lackluster Week 6 loss to the Green Bay Packers, one high-profile player on that offense finds himself in the crosshairs — NFL All-Pro wide receiver George Pickens.
Pickens had 6 receptions for 73 yards in the 23-13 loss to the Packers and has 33 receptions for 428 yards and 1 touchdown on 52 targets through the first six games.
When we look at where Pickens was at this point in 2025 — 36 receptions for 525 yards and 6 touchdowns on 51 targets — we start to see the drop-off.
That’s just on paper. How Pickens carries himself on the field is under scrutiny again in 2026 — mainly because he’s seemed checked out at times.
George Pickens Playing on Franchise Tag in 2026
Pickens is on a 1-year, $27.2 million franchise tag in 2026 after the Cowboys decided against a lucrative contract extension.
“I don’t know who was less interested in the (Cowboys-Packers) game tonight other than me, but George Pickens was up there,” The Ringer’s Bill Simmons said on Sunday night. “Pickens thinks the franchise tag means that he’s playing tag football, not actual football.
George Pickens Blasted for Lack of Effort in 2025
Pickens was put on blast for a lack of effort in 2025 — almost the same criticism Simmons brought up on Sunday.
In a Week 14 loss to the Detroit Lions, Pickens caught 5 passes for 37 yards on 9 targets and picked up two costly penalties: illegal hands to the face and offensive pass interference.
His lack of effort in that game brought a stinging rebuke from former NFL cornerback and Super Bowl champion Richard Sherman afterward.
“George Pickens seemed uninterested in playing football tonight,” Sherman said on the NFL on Prime postgame broadcast. “He seemed completely disengaged; he disappeared and half-assed it. Totally unacceptable.”
“It’s just lackadaisical play and you cannot have an off and on switch,” former NFL wide receiver and ESPN analyst Harry Douglas said on “Get Up” on Friday, December 5. “Every time you take the field you have to say you’re gonna dominate the man across from me. Everything you have to do has to be full speed.”
It was the same criticism Pickens got hit with after a Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025.
“Not enough effort, not enough commitment to the team,” former NFL offensive lineman and 3-time Pro Bowler Taylor Lewan said on ESPN’s “Get Up” in September 2025. “(The Cowboys) need more from you when the ball’s not coming your way. There needs to be a full package of commitment from George Pickens … you’re a massively talented young man but we can’t have you jogging in run concepts. You’ve gotta be all in. I need to watch that tape and know you’re fully committed on every snap.”
Cowboys WR George Pickens Called Out for Lack of Effort After Packers Loss