When George Pickens arrived in Dallas in early May, the biggest storyline was how he’d fit in after things ended poorly in Pittsburgh. Recently, Dallas Cowboys star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was asked for an update on how that’s been going.
“That man don’t got to fit in, he stands out,” Lamb said. “GP is a hell of a player, man. And there’s plenty more excitement where that’s coming from.”
That was on display Sunday night in Dallas’ 40-40 overtime tie with the Green Bay Packers. With Lamb out because of a high ankle sprain, Pickens was the clear No. 1 option in the passing game. And he delivered.
The stat line alone was impressive, catching eight of the 11 passes that Dak Prescott threw in his direction. Pickens finished with 134 yards and two touchdowns. The yardage total was the second-highest of his four-year career.
But the highlight plays stole the show. While Prescott was the game’s MVP, there was no chance Dallas would have been in that game without Pickens. If it wasn’t the highlight grab along the sideline over two defenders to set up Dallas’ first touchdown, it was him beating three defenders to the pylon for the go-ahead touchdown with under a minute left in the fourth quarter.
“No surprises, honestly,” Prescott said. “I’m super proud of him. He played (Sunday) just as I expected him to play. And what I was most impressed about is just the way that he was focused and locked in in the game, the whole game. And not only just locked in doing everything that he needed to do and do it right, but just the conversations he was having in the huddle. Uplifting other guys, saying the right things to keep guys focused and keep guys staying in the moment and being present. And not only was he saying it, he was doing it himself and being an example.
“And (he) made big play after play to give us a chance. … I’m not surprised at all. He did that all camp. He’s done that his whole career. And just having a guy like that, he’s going to do more of it.”
With Lamb out at least one more week, Pickens is again expected to have the No. 1 role. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday that he plans to move Pickens around even more Sunday against the New York Jets, knowing that he’s probably going to be defended often by All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner.