Since trading Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns following the 2021 NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys haven't had a legitimately genuine WR2 to complement CeeDee Lamb.
That's honestly not meant to insult any of the pass-catchers who've lined up with No. 88 over the last three seasons—and you can include tight ends in there as well—but it's true.
Now, to be fair, Lamb has put up some absurd numbers in the last three years, racking up a ridiculous 343 catches on 489 targets for 4,302 yards with 27 touchdowns in 49 regular-season games. So, it's obviously sometimes difficult for others to fill the stat sheet.
Nevertheless, when CeeDee gets doubled, which is naturally quite often, it would be nice for Dak Prescott to have a truly threatening second option, which is why the Cowboys made a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire George Pickens, who led his now-former team in receiving yardage each of the last two years.
Does everyone think the Pickens trade was a good idea? Certainly not, especially given his history with temper tantrums, which have led to multiple unnecessary penalties and reportedly hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines from the league and his own team.
When he's on, though, Pickens' talent is undeniable. And if a bold prediction from an NFL expert comes to fruition, he'll give the Cowboys something they've only had three times in franchise history, that being two 1,000-yard receivers in the same season.
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are both predicted to hit 1,000 receiving yards in 2025
As part of his in-depth 2025 projections, Mike Clay, once the Managing Editor for Pro Football Focus Fantasy and now a Senior Writer with ESPN, has predicted that Lamb will have another monster campaign, catching 117 passes for 1,437 yards with eight touchdowns, while Pickens will tally 72 receptions for 1,023 yards and seven scores.
As mentioned, only thrice in Dallas history have two players gone for 1,000 receiving yards in the same season, those being Drew Pearson & Tony Hill (1979), Terrell Owens & Terry Glenn (2006), and Amari Cooper & Michael Gallup (2019).
With Pickens being in a contract year, which one would assume is part of what made the trade so alluring for America's Team, he can't afford not to be on his best behavior. And Lamb undoubtedly won't mind the help.
Looking at the last three seasons and taking CeeDee completely out of the equation, here are the Cowboys' leaders in receiving yardage:
Season | Player | Receiving Yards |
|---|---|---|
2022 | Dalton Schultz | 577 |
2023 | Jake Ferguson | 761 |
2024 | Jalen Tolbert | 610 |
The fact that two tight ends are listed pretty much says it all. And again, this isn't meant to insult someone like Jalen Tolbert, who grew by leaps and bounds as a player in 2024 but is still a strong WR3 at best.
If Pickens can truly accept his role as the secondary option, which just about every single wide receiver in the NFL would have to be when lining up with Lamb, I've got no problem saying Dallas could have one of the top three 1-2 tandems in the league.
Yeah, I'm talking Ja'Marr Chase/Tee Higgins and A.J. Brown/DeVonta Smith levels here.
Now, we just wait to see if this potentially dynamic duo makes the right kind of Cowboys history or if Jerry Jones wasted another Day 2 draft pick on a bust.