What's Cowboys 'Pull The Trigger' Reasoning On George Pickens Trade?

The Dallas Cowboys desperately needed a receiver and, post-draft, pulled the trigger on a trade for Pittsburgh Steelers star George Pickens.

But how did that trade eventuate?

With the need for a running mate for CeeDee Lamb well documented, it was seen as the last piece of offseason business before the Cowboys could tie everything neatly into a bow and head towards OTAs and training camp.

The draft was where most thought Dallas would take a receiver with Tetairoa McMillan a clear favorite, but as Cowboys COO Stephen Jones explains, once the draft came and went, the front office moved swiftly to get the Pickens trade over the line.

"As we did more and more homework, as I said going into the draft, we didn't know if we were going to get a receiver high or not, we were certainly considering it, when we didn't end up doing anything at receiver because it's the way the board fell," Jones said. "After the draft, we had several options on the table and dug in even more in terms of understand what each player brings to the table, and we thought George was the right answer and decided to move quickly and pull the trigger."

Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) looks on in the third quarter against the Ravens.

Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

So there are a couple of really good nuggets here.

First, the Cowboys didn't "reach" for a receiver after missing out on McMillan. The franchise could have been forgiven for frantically going after Emeka Egbuka or Matthew Golden, but they stayed true to their draft board, potentially knowing they had Pickens and Rashod Bateman in their back pockets.

And the second one is once Dallas realized its situation with Pickens, there was no prolonged talks about the trade, it was a quick deal. The franchise knew what it wanted and as Jones said "pulled the trigger" on the trade.

Two acts that will surely make Cowboys Nation feel a little better about the offseason work. 

Dallas needed a receiver, and when things didn't go its way in the draft, it stuck to the plan and got a good haul. Then, once Pickens was in their crosshairs, it was go time.

So it is clear that the Cowboys had a plan of attack at receiver, and while the path to landing the sometimes-controversial Pickens wasn't exactly straightforward, once the front office knew all they needed to know, the decision was easy.

And now Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have a weapon who is going to help them tremendously, and it's all because the much-maligned Cowboys front office was proactive in making a move to signal their 2025 intentions.