The Dallas Cowboys’ decision to trade for George Pickens came with plenty of risk. The talent was most definitely there, but he had already made the news way too many times for his temper tantrums, social media antics, and getting into fights during games.
The Cowboys ignored the red flags and, other than his partying in Las Vegas and some celebrations, they only got the good parts of the George Pickens experience. That was until their T hursday night loss to the Detroit Lions.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers star finished the game with five receptions for 37 yards. However, his production -- or lack thereof -- wasn’t as worrisome as his apparent lack of effort. He seemed to give up mid-route multiple times, and he didn’t make some catches he could’ve made.
Brian Schottenheimer offers a vague George Pickens response
With that in mind, and in the midst of some harsh criticism, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer claimed that he had addressed the situation with Pickens, who took ownership of his poor performance:
“We talked a little about it. In his words, he goes, ‘Hey, Schotty, I didn’t play my best game.’ Unfortunately, none of us played our best game. That’s real. But I don’t worry about George and his love for football and playing this game,” Schottenheimer told the media, per Jon Machota.
Even so, that’s not necessarily what he said when asked about his performance. If anything, Pickens seemed to feel like the team had done everything the right way, and they just had a couple of unlucky bounces.
George Pickens blames fortune for loss to Lions
"Things just didn't go our way, to be honest," Pickens told the Cowboys’ official website. "I feel like we still had the guys, we still made the plays, CeeDee had a great game, Dak had a great game, I just feel like some plays didn't go our way."
Pickens’ strong play this season has raised his baseline asking price in free agency. The Cowboys will have to make a major investment to keep him around for the long run, whether it’s with the franchise tag or not.
The talent is most definitely there, and his numbers (78 receptions on 114 targets for 1,179 yards and eight touchdowns) are pretty impressive. He clearly has a strong chemistry with Dak Prescott.
Then again, it’s hard to believe the character and effort won’t be an issue after he secures a big payday, given the way he’s carried himself before getting paid.