Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens took a passive aggressive shot at the Pittsburgh Steelers offense when asked about his full route tree and how he can be utilized in Dallas.
"I'm definitely excited to run better plays," Pickens said bluntly at the Cowboys training camp, via Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News.
Pickens was a massive distraction on and off the field throughout his three years in Pittsburgh. While talented, the Steelers had enough off of the antics. That's why they traded Pickens and a 2027 sixth round pick to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2026 third round pick and a 2027 fifth round pick earlier this offseason.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks Pickens will shine in Dallas with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb , and the Steelers will have major regrets. Pickens had the likes of Kenny Pickett , Mitch Trubisky , Mason Rudolph , Justin Fields and Russell Wilson as his quarterback during his three-year tenure in the Steel City. Pickens also had to deal with Matt Canada as the Steelers offensive coordinator for the first two years of his career. Canada was fired on Nov. 21, 2023, marking the Steelers' first in-season coaching change in over 80 years.
"He's the guy who's open when he's not open," Florio said on PFT Live . "He's the guy who will contort his body in midair and make the contested catch, and he can get separation. [The Steelers] just didn't use him enough.
"When Pickens starts making the highlight reel catches, will they rotate the coverage toward him, and then Ceedee Lamb starts going off?" Florio said. "They may be on to something with George Pickens."
The offense was a mess during Pickens' time with the Steelers, but he also contributed to the dysfunction.
In 2023, Pickens was fined over $200,000 between the NFL and the Steelers for incidents, including reported serial tardiness to team practices and meetings.
In 2024, he received over $80,000 in fines from the NFL for his on-field behavior, including unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct, two fights after the end of a loss, a profane message on his eye black and got into a sideline spat with fans. He also was late on multiple occasion s in 2024.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens at practice on Dec. 23, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Steelers wanted to get Pickens out of town before Aaron Rodgers ' arrival. The organization thought the two big personalities would not mesh at all.
"Staying with Pittsburgh-related matters, the Steelers moved on from Pickens for a few reasons. His maturity issues were well-known within Pittsburgh's locker room and front office. So, the Steelers made the evaluation that Pickens and Rodgers probably would not hit it off," Fowler wrote .
Pickens is at the honeymoon phase with the Cowboys right now. It's all sunshine and rainbows. Will that be the case if Pickens receives four targets in a November loss? Time will tell. But right now, Prescott is stoked to have Pickens on America's Team .
"Great dude, loves his teammates, and excited as hell for this season," Prescott said. "I know he is, I know he's happy to be in a fresh, new spot. And I'm excited for what he's going to do for us."
Dak Prescott connected to Pickens for a long gain at the Cowboys training camp practice on Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : George Pickens Throws Shade at Steelers Offense: 'Excited to Run Better Plays'
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