The Dallas Cowboys' acquisition of wide receiver George Pickens might be the best move of the offseason. His presence has helped revitalize the Cowboys' offense and helped push quarterback Dak Prescott into the MVP conversation. He has also been a major reason for Dallas' resurgence in the NFC Wild Card standings. While it is easy to praise Pickens for his impactful play, there is always an underlying concern that he may fall into bad habits similar to his days with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pickens' two-faced personality reared its ugly head against the Detroit Lions in Week 14's 44-30 Thursday Night Football loss. With questions about Pickens' effort resurfacing, Cowboys' head coach Brian Schottenheimer explains why he is not worried about the wideout's play or behavior moving forward.
“We talked a little about it,” Schottenheimer told the media, via The Athletic's Jon Machota. “In his words, he goes, ‘Hey, Schotty, I didn’t play my best game.’ Unfortunately, none of us played our best game. That’s real. But I don’t worry about George and his love for football and playing this game.”
Dallas has already benched Pickens once this season, during the opening drive of a Week 11 matchup vs. the Las Vegas Raiders. The reasoning for the disciplinary action was a curfew violation. Fast forward two weeks, and Pickens is already making headlines for the wrong reasons again.
There is no doubting what Pickens offers on the field. Through 13 games, he has caught 78 passes for 1,179 yards and eight touchdowns and is a shoo-in to be a Pro Bowl candidate this season. However, as an impending free agent, Pickens will need to keep his nose clean to aid Dallas in their late-season playoff push, but also to secure a bank-breaking payday.
