FRISCO, Texas 鈥 The time for wondering what George Pickens can do for the 抖阴视频' offense is nearly behind us all, because reality will answer the question in a major way on Thursday night, when they travel to take on the defending champion Eagles in Philadelphia under the brightest of primetime lights.
When things get underway at Lincoln Financial Field this week, it will have been nearly four months to the day that Pickens was traded to the Cowboys from the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he followed up the blockbuster move with a scintillating first training camp in Oxnard.
The anticipation has reached fever pitch, especially for Pickens himself.
"Yeah, it's anticipation," he said following Monday's practice. "I'm just waiting, pretty much, to see what the guys do, and to see what we do as a team."
A hefty chunk of his joy comes from just how much he's looking forward to doing damage alongside All-Pro record-setting wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. The two collectively stole the show for the offense in conjunction with All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott in camp.
Furthermore, Pickens doesn't believe an absence of preseason reps will slow their start to the season, offensively.
"I've always watched [CeeDee Lamb], I played against him so now I'm ready to play with him. 鈥 feel like we can hit the ground running. We had a lot of reps in the offseason, [and] going to Georgia and throwing routes 鈥 so I feel like we can come out hot."
This will mark the first time in Pickens' young career in which he's been fully unleashed as more than simply a go ball getter and downfield highlight reel. In Dallas, if training camp is any indicator of what's to come, head coach and offensive playcaller Brian Schottenheimer frequently moved Pickens around to all three receiver spots, and often put his route-running ability on full display in Oxnard.
That's as exciting as anything, says Pickens, feeling his game being taken to new heights in the Cowboys' offense; and the ability to show the entire NFL he's got a lot more in his war chest than the deep ball.
"I'm super excited 鈥 that's kind of what I was talking about with the scheme: different routes, different route concepts to get me open, to get CeeDee open, to get a lot of guys open," he said with a smile. "Like I said, we've got a lot of weapons, so I'll naturally just come up simply by other guys just running their routes. I'm definitely ready."
And asking him about his 2026 contract status will only get you a bottle washed up onto your shore with a handwritten letter inside that refocuses you on football talk, and not business.
Is he, at all, thinking about this being a contract year?
"Not really," he said. "I'm more of a team guy. I always say that. I don't really think about that, because I'm more of a team guy. I'm ready to play with CeeDee, and ready to see what the guys do as a team."
As is the rest of the football world, making Thursday Night Football in Philly the place to be.
