George Pickens experienced his first official training camp practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, and the star wide receiver wasted no time taking a swipe at his former team.
Pickens spent the first three seasons of his career in a Pittsburgh Steelers pass offense that was fairly limited. He was mostly a deep-ball threat, which should change for him in Dallas.
When asked about being able to run more of a full route tree with the Cowboys, Pickens took a not-so-subtle shot at the Steelers. He called practicing with his new team a “breath of fresh air.”
“I’m definitely excited to run better plays,” Pickens said.
George Pickens was used often as a deep ball player in Pittsburgh. He was asked about his full route tree and how that can be utilized in Dallas.
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) July 22, 2025
“I’m definitely excited to run better plays.”
Pickens called his experience in Dallas a fresh start that he’s been enjoying. pic.twitter.com/Sjy06Vt2GV
Pickens had 59 catches for 900 yards and 3 touchdowns last season. He drew 103 targets, which helps illustrate how inefficient Pittsburgh’s passing offense was for much of the year. The same was true in 2023, when Pickens 63 catches on 106 targets.
Dak Prescott is easily the best quarterback Pickens has ever played with. In Pittsburgh, Pickens had to work with a well-past-his-prime Russell Wilson, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Mitchell Trubisky.
Pickens should also benefit from being the No. 2 option in Dallas behind CeeDee Lamb, who will attract a great deal of attention from defenses. That will open things up for Pickens underneath, which is something that happened for him very rarely with the Steelers.
Of course, the Steelers also reportedly grew tired of Pickens’ antics. You have to wonder how the former Georgia star will react if he has some dud games under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who has also historically been a run-first playcaller.
