The Dallas Cowboys are a rudderless ship as the trade deadline approaches in the 2026 NFL season. This team is going nowhere fast as long as Brian Schottenheimer is the head coach, and the future doesn't look incredibly bright with only a handful of draft picks and a brutal financial situation in hand.
So, it may be time to have a discussion about George Pickens' future in Dallas.
Sunday's horrific loss to the Arizona Cardinals was just the latest reminder that the Cowboys are not a well-coached team bound for playoff sucess, and that attempting to salvage this season is utterly pointless. Sure, the NFC East is up for grabs, and anything can happen if you can get into the dance.
But would losing in the first round, probably by a big margin, be considered a success by Jerry Jones or the fanbase? Certainly not. And with very few resources to build a stronger team next year, Dallas could easily justify shipping Pickens off for premier draft capital and simplifying its cap situation.
Plus, another team would probably utilize Pickens much better than Schotty and the Cowboys have in 2026.
Cowboys should consider trading George Pickens at the deadline as season unravels
Let's look at the facts here: Dallas has just four picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, thanks to a bevy of trades that have worked out to varying degrees, and they have almost no wiggle room with their salary cap space next year. Fitting Pickens into the equation was going to take serious maneuvering.
Perhaps the Cowboys save themselves the headache of agreeing to a long-term deal with a David Mulugheta client and dish Pickens to any number of teams that need a wide receiver to solidify a playoff push and would be willing to pay a tall price for that level of security.
The Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers could all use help at wide receiver. Maybe the Atlanta Falcons or Los Angeles Rams still feel good about their odds. Heck, even the Las Vegas Raiders could be willing to pony up. And Dallas is in no position to say no.
What are the Cowboys going to do, suddenly become a team with a competent coaching staff that can avoid disastrous mistakes and play complementary football? Is Schotty going to flip a switch and start being aggressive with how he calls the offense? It doesn't seem like that is in the cards.
Here are the number of targets that Pickens has gotten in the last six weeks:
10
3
13
10
6
3
Some of that is on Dak Prescott, yes, but a lot of it can be attributed to Dallas not leaning on the pass game enough in critical situations. Their inability to extend so many drives because Schotty waves the white flag limits the opportunities for everyone. Pickens isn't having nearly the same kind of year.
So, again I ask, what purpose does Pickens serve for the Cowboys in 2026?
He's not helping them win games or take control of the division, as Dallas sits at 3-5, closer to the last-place Philadelphia Eagles than the first-place New York Giants. Pickens doesn't have a long-term deal in place, and he's not some invaluable commodity that the Cowboys must ride things out with.
You can't cut him.
But after this year, based on how seldom Schotty has utilized him and how little team success they've had, can you justify paying him when this roster is full of holes and needs to offload big contracts, not take on more of them? Won't CeeDee Lamb and Ryan Flournoy be enough with an "elite play-caller?"
Pickens may just be most valuable to Dallas as a trade chip at this point, and deadlines cause deals to get done. Desperation causes teams to overpay. It is still within the realm of possibility that Pickens fetches the Cowboys a first-round pick, or at least a second-rounder and some serious change.
For a team with just four picks, which will be a late first-rounder, a mid-to-early second-rounder, a late fourth-rounder and a middling seventh-rounder, getting cheap young players should be very appealing. Having more darts to throw at the board in April should be the priority right now.
If Dallas isn't going to utilize Pickens properly, commit to paying him, or win with him, then they should give someone else the opportunity to do so. And on the other side of that tough decision could be a handful of picks that they use to help turn things around, as well as more financial freedom.
Jerry Jones has never been one to throw in the towel. But trying to acquire players in an attempt to rescue this season would be a fool's errand. If he wants to set off his annual fireworks at the deadline, dealing Pickens may be the only way to get that done. And it could very well be the right choice.
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