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George Pickens Appeared to Shade Steelers While Talking About Cowboys Offense

Pickens is excited to finally be playing in an offense that will expand his route tree.
The Cowboys acquired George Pickens from the Steelers in May.
The Cowboys acquired George Pickens from the Steelers in May. | Screengrab YouTube @DallasCowboys

George Pickens is excited to be a Dallas Cowboy. And perhaps in some ways, to no longer be a Pittsburgh Steeler.

That much was apparent from one moment during Pickens's press conference on Tuesday, the first day of Cowboys' training camp. Pickens was asked about being cast as a "contested catch guy" or, in other words, a wide receiver who was effectively limited to running deep routes down the field. So, Pickens was asked if he's excited to "expand his route tree" in Dallas.

"Yeah, I'm definitely excited to run better plays. For sure. Yeah," Pickens said with a smile.

That implies that Pickens wasn't too enthused with Pittsburgh's playbook. It's no secret that the 24-year-old's rocky tenure with the Steelers didn't end on the best of terms either, as he took to social media to take a not-so-subtle shot at the club shortly after he was traded to Dallas.

Pickens, who called his first training camp practice with Dallas a "breath of fresh air", will now look forward to building chemistry with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

"I think it can be great," Pickens said of the Cowboys offense's potential with Prescott throwing him passes and CeeDee Lamb alongside him at receiver. "Kind of like I said, as long as you keep working, the camaraderie—there's no choice but to be great."


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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated, primarily covering MLB, college football and college basketball. Before joining SI in November 2023, Capurso worked at RotoBaller and ClutchPoints and is a graduate of Assumption University. When he's not working, he can be found at the gym, reading a book or enjoying a good hike. A resident of New York, Capurso openly wonders if the Giants will ever be a winning football team again.