When the Dallas Cowboys pulled the trigger on a bold trade to acquire George Pickens from the Steelers, it made headlines across the league — and rightly so. For starters, pairing Pickens with CeeDee Lamb solved the Cowboys’ WR2 issues for the foreseeable future. But more intriguingly, many around the league wondered how well Pickens would fit in Dallas.
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The wide receiver’s raw talent has never been in question, but his temperament and maturity were under constant scrutiny during his time in Pittsburgh. So naturally, eyebrows were raised. Was this the right locker room for him? Would he mesh with the Cowboys’ culture?
But all these questions were seemingly put to rest earlier this week, when Pickens faced the media in the Big D for the first time. And if his words are anything to go by, he’s not looking back — he’s more locked in than ever.
When asked if he was surprised by the trade, the WR didn’t flinch. “I wasn’t, you know… everything’s kind of a business,” he said. “Even kind of like what you [media] guys do is business, so I wasn’t really too shocked or too excited. I was just ready to work.”
That single “I was just ready to work” line captured his tone throughout the presser. Not the emotional firebrand fans saw on the Pittsburgh sidelines (sometimes, on the field).
And if there was any trace of excitement, it came when Pickens described his first interaction with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. “It’s like when you get a present on Christmas,” he said, smiling. “You’re just super happy.”
The 24-year-old also addressed his role, or rather, the fact that it hasn’t yet been defined. “No, not yet,” he said when asked if coaches had outlined his responsibilities. “Just working with the guys… we got rookies here too, so everybody’s just been kind of grinding.”
But it was when the conversation turned to public perception that Pickens offered the most revealing answer. “That I’m actually like a chill guy,” he said, when asked what people might misunderstand about him. “It’s like a big phase of a tornado that’s not even true. I’m a chill guy. I just love to work.”
Luckily for Cowboys fans, this sentiment isn’t just coming from Pickens alone. His new teammate, CeeDee Lamb, is already picking up on the vibe shift, noting that people have likely misread Pickens’ demeanor in the past.
“I knew who he was as a player, obviously just watching him with the Steelers and how passionate he is about the game,” Lamb told the team website. “I think they kind of get it confused… once you’re so passionate about something, you’re willing to do anything for it.”
The Cowboys star even went on to reveal that Pickens has looked nothing but happy since joining the Cowboys:
“He hasn’t stopped smiling since he got here, so I’ll start with that.”
It’s early days, but if George Pickens can bring his big-play ability and a more composed mindset to Dallas, he might just become one of the steals of the offseason — not just on the field, but in the locker room as well.
