Nick Wright takes Cowboys to the woodshed over George Pickens' contract

It's hardly breaking news that the Dallas Cowboys are expected to place the franchise tag on George Pickens.

You’d hope they’d take the same approach with Pickens as they did with Javonte Williams, who signed a three-year, $24 million extension over the weekend. But that was never realistic. Jerry and Stephen Jones simply aren't proactive with blockbuster contracts.

There is nothing wrong with tagging Pickens so long as it serves as a bridge to a long-term extension. But it invites a distraction that the Cowboys don't need if Pickens skips part of the offseason program, and it would validate concerns about a lack of direction. That is exactly what FS1 personality Nick Wright alluded to on First Things First.

"... If the season he (Pickens) just had was not enough for you to be like, 'You know what, we are paying him what he is going to want to be paid,' then nothing would have been enough," Wright said.

"He literally had a better year than anyone could have realistically anticipated, and they're still like, "Eh, let's do this year to year.' And he doesn't strike me as a guy who's going to be like, "Oh, where do I sign the franchise tag?'"

Nick Wright airs valid concerns about the Dallas Cowboys' plan for George Pickens

Cowboys fans (rightfully) roll their eyes at how Dallas is analyzed within the national media, but Wright's critiques are valid.

In a vacuum, the Cowboys shouldn’t have traded for Pickens if they didn’t intend to extend him. Given his talent, they had to anticipate that he could thrive in an offense led by Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. And his character concerns weren’t exactly a secret when they acquired him last May.

As Wright said, "It was very obvious that this stumbling block was ahead, and they barreled towards it anyway."

Similarly, if Dallas had any apprehension about committing major money to two wide receivers, they had no business trading for Pickens ... unless their "plan" was to win a Super Bowl in 2025 and tag and trade Pickens this offseason.

If that was the vision, this franchise may never win another ring, because last year's team was never going to sniff contention.

Paying two wide receivers top dollar isn’t ideal roster construction, but it may be the Cowboys’ best path to winning a championship in the Dak Prescott era.

We've already seen how lethal the offense can be with Pickens. If the front office delivers the right ingredients for new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, it’s not hard to see Dallas emerging as one of the NFL’s most dangerous teams next season.

That vision quickly unravels if they mishandle Pickens' contract.