Over the last few weeks there has been a noticeable decline in the number of snaps George Pickens is playing for the Dallas Cowboys.
Over his first six games, Pickens didn't see fewer than 76.4% of snaps in any contest, and he has typically been north of 84% throughout the season.
However, in the last two games, Pickens has been on the field for 60.3% and 56.8% of the snaps, which is a pretty steep drop.
When asked about Pickens' snap counts on Wednesday, head coach Brian Schottenheimer revealed it has to do with Pickens playing at less than 100%.
"Brian Schottenheimer told me that George Pickens snaps have been limited by his injuries," Clarence Hill of DLLS Cowboys said. "He has been taken off the field because blocking in the run game."
Schottenheimer added that it "would be poor coaching by me" to keep Pickens off the field for any reason.
That checks out because Pickens was added to the injury report in Week 7 due to a shoulder issue and he remained on it through last week. It's pretty hard to block effectively with a shoulder injury, so that's understandable.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) reacts to his catch against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Another issue with Pickens' usage is his number of targets. Pickens has seen just 10 the last two games combined after seeing 11 or more in three of the previous four games.
Schottenheimer addressed that, also.
"If I showed you the call sheet and you saw the targets for him, the targets for 88, it fills the entire back of my call sheet," Schottenheimer said.
"Again, when you have two of them, it's going to get spread around a little bit... CeeDee and George both having good years," Schotty added. "Ceedee's numbers are incredible, but, again, George is the guy that we're focused on knowing we got to get him going more and better, and that starts with me as the play-caller.
Schottenheimer isn't the only one in the Cowboys' building who says Pickens needs more. Owner Jerry Jones said that on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday.
"He needs the ball coming his way more," Jones said.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) react during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
This is not to say the Cowboys can't do a better job of getting him involved, but it's not shocking at all to see Pickens' targets become less consistent this season.
Lamb has managed to stay healthy and has once again taken the mantle of the team's No. 1 wide receiver, which Pickens obviously took up in 2025 when Lamb missed time. That allowed for more targets and better production in his first season in Dallas.
Because his playing time and targets have decreased in recent weeks, and because the Cowboys look like a team that is going nowhere, there has been increased trade chatter surrounding Pickens.
However, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is hearing that Pickens isn't going anywhere.
"As of right now there's nothing there," Rapoport said on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday.
Would it make sense for the Cowboys to trade Pickens given their status as a sinking ship, and with Pickens set to be a free agent next offseason?
Sure, but clearly the Cowboys don't agree.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/cowboys/onsi as Brian Schottenheimer Explains George Pickens' Lack of Snaps, Targets in Recent Cowboys Games .
