George Pickens is more than finding his way with his new team.
After being traded from the Steelers to the Cowboys this past May, the 24-year-old is currently on pace to set career highs across the board—and has already notched a single season-best six touchdowns. Through seven games, Pickens has become Dallas's No. 1 target on offense, hauling in 36 catches on 54 targets for 607 yards and the aforementioned six scores.
Once thought to be a locker room problem, the former second-round pick has lined himself up for a big payday this offseason as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. Just last week, Pickens mentioned he'd be open to signing an extension with the Cowboys.
"I wouldn’t mind it," he told reporters when asked about a potential long-term future in Dallas. "The guys in the locker room are super cool, the energy is great. I always want to showcase my talents."
And showcasing his talents is exactly what he's done. Here's a deeper look at how Pickens has been able to find such success with the Cowboys.
Better quarterback play
Simply put, Pickens has gone from catching passes from a subpar duo in Justin Fields and Russell Wilson with Pittsburgh to one of the league's more elite throwers of the football in Dak Prescott.
Through seven games, the 32-year-old signal caller leads the NFL in both touchdown passes (16) and QBR (81.2), is second in yards with 1,881, and has led Dallas' offense to a league-best 390.6 yards per game and 31.7 points per game—second to only the Colts.
While Prescott is undoubtedly playing MVP-caliber football, he's done his best to pump the tires of both Pickens and Dallas's other star wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb.
"They are [the best wide receiver duo he's ever played with]," Prescott proclaimed after last week's Cowboys win over the Commanders. "That's credit to the way they show up and work each and every day. That's credit to the standard that they have for themselves. That's credit to the love they have for one another, the way that they push one another. They definitely are. Those dudes are unbelievable."
On top of his other career-pacing numbers, Pickens is also posting his best catch rate (67.9%) this season while lining up outside on a 88.3% of his snaps—also a high. Coach Brian Schottenheimer's system, mixed with elite quarterback play from Prescott, has proven paramount for Pickens' success in 2025.
A bad Cowboys defense leading to more opportunities
On the flip side of their dominant offense is a struggling Dallas defense.
Through seven games, the Cowboys are allowing the most total yards per game (401.6), passing yards per game (260.3), and the third-most rushing yards per game (141.3) in the NFL. Additionally, they're giving up the third-most points per game (29.4), are in the bottom half of the league in takeaways with just six, and have sacked opposing quarterbacks just 15 times—a middle-of-the-pack number—while allowing them to post a 110.6 passer rating (second-highest in NFL) and giving them 2.95 seconds to throw (also the second-highest).
Given that, the offense has been shoehorned into throwing the ball, likely more than they want to, in an effort to keep pace with their opponents—resulting in Prescott’s 259 pass attempts (tied for second-most in the NFL) and Pickens’s 21% target share, which we’ll get to now.
CeeDee Lamb's injury
Pickens's 21% target share in the Cowboys' offense is second only to tight end Jake Ferguson (22%) and first among wide receivers—likely due, in part, to CeeDee Lamb's injury.
The star pass-catcher missed Weeks 4 through 6 this season due to a high ankle sprain, which in turn led to an influx of production from Pickens. The 24-year-old was sensational over that three-week stretch, hauling in eight catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns against the Packers in Week 4, and nine catches for 168 yards and a score against the Panthers in Week 6. Week 5 was a bit quieter, as he hauled in only two passes on four targets—but a 43-yard, third-quarter touchdown catch helped seal the victory for Dallas.
Even when Lamb returned last week against the Commanders to the tune of five catches for 110 yards and a score, Pickens still got his—catching four passes on six targets for 82 yards.
Needless to say, Pickens will remain in the mix moving forward and should continue to play a pivotal role in this high-powered Cowboys offense.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Explaining Why George Pickens Has Found Success With Cowboys.