Former Cowboys WR Points Out Uncomfortable George Pickens Truth

Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jesse Holley is spot-on with his assessment of wideout George Pickens' level of importance to the team.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys have arguably the best one-two punch at wide receiver in the NFL in George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb.

Pickens put together a career year in 2025 after the Cowboys got him in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, Lamb struggled with multiple injuries, but we already know he's elite.

Unfortunately, the Cowboys as a whole didn't fare as well as their dynamic duo, with Dallas missing the postseason because they couldn't stop a nosebleed on defense.

It was yet another prime example of how having a great tandem at wide receiver — and an electric offense in general — does not mean much if a team can't play defense, something we've also seen with the Cincinnati Bengals.

An uncomfortable George Pickens truth

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The fact that the Cowboys are even trying to keep Pickens around for more than just one season has been at least a bit of a head-scratcher.

Whether he's on the franchise tag or on a long-term deal, the wide receiver is expensive and there's no question Dallas would be better served using those resources on the defense instead.

After seeing what went down last season, former Cowboys wide receiver and host of the "DLLS Cowboys Podcast" Jesse Holley, rightly points out that Pickens is a luxury, not a need.

"George is a luxury. George is not necessarily needed for this offense to be successful," Holley said.

To further drive that point home, Holley noted that the Cowboys have sported a top-notch offense multiple times over the last five seasons without Pickens.

Is George Pickens a LUXURY?

Former Cowboys WR Jesse Holley agrees with Jordan Rodgers...

"George is not necessarily NEEDED for this offense to be successful..." pic.twitter.com/24FVtM2il3

— DLLS Cowboys (@DLLS_Cowboys) April 2, 2026

A spot-on George Pickens analysis

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

The real key to the Cowboys' offense in recent years has been the health of quarterback Dak Prescott, who is no doubt the engine of Dallas' unit. As Prescott goes, so goes the Cowboys' offense.

Now, none of this is to say the Cowboys could just trade Pickens away and do nothing after that. Dallas would still need to take care of the No. 2 wide receiver spot in that scenario, but could do so for a much cheaper price than what the team is paying Pickens.

In turn, that would free up more money for the Cowboys to address other areas of their roster, particularly the defense.

What should the Cowboys do?

Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The fact of the matter is, the Cowboys should have never even considered keeping Pickens, and for multiple reasons.

Not only does the cost of the franchise tag or an extension limit what the Cowboys can do elsewhere, there's no telling if Pickens will revert back to his bad-boy ways once he gets the bag.

We already saw glimpses of that side of Pickens in 2025, so we shudder to think what could happen if he has tens of millions of guaranteed dollars coming to him in a new deal.

It's not too late for Dallas to change course and trade Pickens to the highest bidder, but the best time to do that is before the NFL Draft, where the Cowboys can find a cheaper long-term solution for the spot opposite Lamb.

Adding more depth in free agency (someone like Jauan Jennings, for example) would be an option, also.

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