Cowboys' 2026 Worst-Case Scenario May Center on George Pickens

This is a critical offseason for the Dallas Cowboys.

Dallas went 7-9-1 in their first season under head coach Brian Schottenheimer, but they showed plenty of promise. At least, they did on offense.

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Dak Prescott led one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Javonte Williams helping him along the way. Two of those players, Williams and Pickens, are now free agents and the Cowboys want them back.

While a salary for Williams is tough to figure out, Pickens is expected to be hit with the franchise tag, which would be an estimated $28.1 million in 2026. Keeping him would be nice, but with their current salary cap situation, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox says it could lead to a worst-case-scenario where they ignore their struggling defense.

”Dallas is already projected to be $31.5 million over the salary cap,” Knox wrote.

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“If the Cowboys put too much effort into clearing cap space to retain Pickens and ignore their pass defense, it would keep the offense interesting, but it would be a worst-case scenario for the overall team. Dallas simply isn't going to go deep in the postseason with a lackluster pass rush and a sieve of a secondary.”

Does this mean keeping George Pickens is a bad idea?

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens warms up before a game against the Minnesota Vikings. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Knox is warning that Dallas can’t focus solely on securing a deal for Pickens, but that doesn’t mean he thinks it’s a bad idea to keep him around.

Pickens was the team’s leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown catches in 2025. There were even times where he looked more dominant than Lamb, which is impressive in its own right.

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That said, the Cowboys can’t focus solely on clearing room for Pickens and forget about the defense. They can’t even count solely on their two picks in Round 1 to fix that side of the ball.

If they truly want to win, they have to find a way to improve in free agency, and that means clearing space to make moves on top of locking up Pickens.

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