The Dallas Cowboys sent shockwaves around the NFL when they acquired wide receiver George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers. It is a trade that, while it carries some risk, puts to rest any concerns about the team's offensive firepower, specifically at the WR position.
All of a sudden, Dallas' wide receiver room is pretty deep. While not full of accomplished pass-catchers, the likes of Jalen Tolbert, Jonathan Mingo and Kavontae Turpin are all serviceable depth options. That doesn't even take into account Ryan Flournoy, Jalen Brooks and Parris Campbell.
With a logjam of receivers, the Cowboys wasted no time trimming the group. To make room for Pickens on the 90-man roster, they released Seth Williams.
Cowboys release WR Seth Williams to make room for George Pickens
A sixth-round pick of the Broncos in 2021, Williams notched one catch for 34 yards in two appearances as a rookie. He spent the subsequent two seasons on the Jaguars' practice squad before moving to the Cowboys' practice squad last season.
It is unfortunate that Williams lost his roster spot as a result of the trade, but he had little chance of making noise in Dallas. Again, this is suddenly a very congested group.
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In addition to the names mentioned above, the team has 2024 training camp standouts Kelvin Harmon and Jalen Moreno-Cropper, as well as undrafted free agent signings Traeshon Holden and Josh Kelly.
In a vacuum, the trade takes a lot of pressure off Jalen Tolbert and Jonathan Mingo to punch above their respective weight classes. Tolbert can fill more of a tertiary in the receiver room role while Mingo can develop at his own speed instead of having to produce at a high level right out of the gate.
After all, Pickens spent the last three seasons as the top target in the Steelers offense. The former Georgia Bulldog only had one 1,000-yard season in Pittsburgh, but he was saddled with some pretty poor quarterback play. While he'll play the WR2 role next to CeeDee Lamb, he is more of a 1A than a 1B as far as talent.
Williams was the first one to bite the bullet, but rest assured he won't be the only wide receiver cut Dallas makes this offseason.