The Dallas Cowboys have made it perfectly clear to wide receiver George Pickens that he is not going to be a part of this team's long-term future unless he proves his worth to this offense in 2026. Based on what happened in the squad's much-needed victory against the Philadelphia Eagles, Pickens saw his short-term responsibilities cut down as well.
Schottenheimer publicly called out Pickens for what he felt was lackluster run-blocking effort in the team's loss against the Green Bay Packers, and any threats he may have made that hinted at a reduced role for Pickens weren't empty. Against Philadelphia, Ryan Flournoy played more snaps than Pickens, which is quite the bold move.
Pickens played 12 fewer snaps than Flournoy, most of which came when Javonte Williams was running the ball. According to Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan, Pickens was in on just 13 run-blocking snaps, compared to 28 for Flournoy and 27 for CeeDee Lamb. Despite his status on the team and within the league, Pickens was reminded that lollygagging will result in punishment.
Cowboys benched George Pickens after poor run-blocking in win vs. Eagles
Pickens has caught 37 passes for 485 yards and two touchdowns this season. On a per-game basis, that still exceeds what he produced in Pittsburgh despite conceding many targets to No. 1 CeeDee Lamb. However, this is a step down from last year, and Pickens is in the middle of a contract dispute as he tries to get another payday.
This isn't the first time Schottenheimer has had to discipline Pickens on the field, as he benched both he and Lamb for the opening series of their matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders due to a curfew violation.
While that is a relatively minor development, anyone looking to commit close to $40 million per season to employ Pickens might need to take that transgression into account.
Pickens finished the game wth four catches for 57 yards and a touchdown grab that took the breath away of everyone in the stadium, though Flournoy matched that production with four catches for 70 yards. Flournoy has shown enough spark to keep this offense humming if Pickens is unwilling to block as well as he needs to.
This team has enough noise between Jerry Jones sitting in the suite with Stephen A. Smith and the defense soiling themselves. The last thing they need is a disgruntled employee impacting what is supposed to be the strength of this team.
While the Cowboys were playing against an Eagles defense that has been beset by injuries and is underperforming at essentially every area, winning on the road against a division opponent is never something that can be downplayed.
Doing so while telling Pickens that no one is above reproach has to feel good for Schottenheimer.
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