Brian Schottenheimer Laughs Off 'George Pickens Mouthpiece Theory' Tipping Off Plays

The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for their home opener at AT&T Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with the division rival Washington Commanders coming to town. Dallas is hoping it can get into the win column after a disappointing team effort in Week One.

Leading up to this weekend's game, there was a lot of discussion about where the team can improve after a poor defensive performance in the season opener and a slow start to the offense.

There was also some chatter about a major tell on offense that could be tipping off the team's plays, and it all centers around star wide receiver George Pickens.

A viral theory surfaced that you can tell whether the Cowboys are going to run or pass the ball based on Pickens' mouthpiece.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens looks on before the game between the Cowboys and the Saints at AT&T Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If his mouthpiece is in, it's a passing play. If it's not, it's a run. At least that's the way the theory goes.

During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer was informed of the theory, which led to a hilarious exchange.

Is The 'George Pickens Mouthpiece Theory' Legit?

Has Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer seen the viral clip of George Pickens putting his mouthpiece in on a passing play and not having it in when it's a run? pic.twitter.com/6morEfRepf
— 105.3 The FAN (@1053thefan) September 18, 2026

"I am gonna have to go to, uh, our analytics department and ask them about this because that, honestly, is the first I've heard of it," Schottenheimer joked. "Now, maybe it's on my desk. It might be a big stack of paper that says,'GP's mouthpiece.' I do know this. If it is in fact true, it's probably a pretty good tell,'cause it's the biggest mouthpiece I've seen.

"We start Monday after the players leave, every Monday, we start with what we call self scout. So you always start with yourself. You always start with, hey, in this personnel grouping when you're in gun, in the backs, and to the tight end or away from the tight end, or, hey, when we're in this front on defense, you always start with that because you want to adjust some of those stronger tendencies. Usually, you know, the first couple weeks of the season you don't have that many strong tendencies. I'd say clearly after four or five games, uh, there's some tendencies you're like,"Ooh, we need to break that,'because it does give the defense or the offense a heads-up.'"

After the "theory" went viral, it was quickly disproven. On the very first play against the New York Giants, Pickens had his mouthpiece in and it was a run play.

So, while the viral theory was a lot of fun, there is no truth to the rumors, and that's a good thing for the Cowboys. If there was any truth to the theory, teams would have picked up on the tell a long time ago.

But, who knows, now that the theory has gone viral, perhaps Pickens can have some fun at the expense of opposing defenses moving forward.

Dallas Cowboys stars George Pickens and Dak Prescott at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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