FRISCO, Texas (AP) 鈥 By the time Dak Prescott got to his phone after the Dallas Cowboys agreed to a trade for receiver George Pickens, the star quarterback said he had about six missed calls from owner Jerry Jones’ assistant.
鈥淟iterally no idea what it could鈥檝e been about and actually had a voicemail from Jerry, 鈥楬ey, I鈥檝e got some good news I want to share with you,鈥欌 Prescott said Tuesday. 鈥淪o I called him back and he was excited. Just a lot of excitement from the both of us.鈥
The Cowboys entered the offseason after the end of a three-year playoff run knowing they lacked a proven No. 2 receiver behind CeeDee Lamb. Then they skipped the position altogether in the draft.
In their mind, they still don’t have a No. 2 receiver. Dallas thinks it has two No. 1s after giving the Pittsburgh Steelers a third-round pick in next year’s draft while the teams swapped late-round 2027 choices in the deal announced May 7.
鈥淚 think CeeDee said it best,鈥 first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer said. 鈥淚 saw his comments where we don鈥檛 have a one, we don鈥檛 do A鈥檚 and B鈥檚, we think that there鈥檚 a one over there. If you look over there, there鈥檚 a one there. So I think that鈥檚 the way that we view (Pickens).鈥
Prescott, Lamb and Pickens are on the field together for the first time this week in organized team activities.
鈥淲e can complement each other,鈥 Lamb said of Pickens. 鈥淛ust being his backbone and being here for him and letting him know that he has some help on the other side that鈥檚 a dog and that鈥檚 willing to win. I鈥檓 going to do everything in my power to do that.鈥
Going into his 10th season, Prescott potentially has the most dangerous second option at receiver since Amari Cooper was traded three years ago, back when Lamb was considered the No. 2 guy.
After finishing second in MVP voting in 2023, Prescott missed the final nine games last season with a torn hamstring. Now he has plenty of reasons to feel confident about a reset coming off just the second losing season for Dallas since he became the starter.
鈥淟ooking at the guy鈥檚 tape, you see what he does, the kind of receiver he is, he鈥檚 going to win on one on ones,鈥 Prescott said of Pickens. 鈥淗e can win two vs. one if he has to. Very, very talented guy. When you can add him alongside a CeeDee and the rest of the weapons we have, I鈥檓 super excited.鈥
Pickens left behind questions in Pittsburgh, where the 2022 second-round pick showed he could be a dynamic playmaker but struggled to keep his emotions in check. Lamb has had a few sideline moments himself, usually when frustrated that he wasn’t getting the ball enough.
鈥淥bviously just watching him with the Steelers and how passionate he is about the game, I think they kind of get it confused when you鈥檙e so passionate about something, you鈥檙e willing to do anything for it,鈥 Lamb said. 鈥淎s far as winning goes, just being happy in an organization. Not saying that he wasn鈥檛, not saying that he was, you never know. He hasn鈥檛 stopped smiling since he got here, so I鈥檒l start with that.鈥
Pickens now has had a chance to show people from the outside that smile after dealing with by phone.
鈥淚’d probably say staying humble,鈥 Pickens said when asked about a chance for a fresh start. 鈥淭hat’s kinda what I always did even when the story was what the story was. I always kept working and staying humble.鈥
Lamb will go through a full offseason and training camp with Pickens after missing everything in a contract holdout last year. He played through a painful shoulder injury most of last season and experienced for the first time a season in which his catches, yards and touchdowns weren’t higher than the previous year.
Of course, it would have been difficult to match his first All-Pro season in 2023, when Lamb led the NFL with 135 catches and had 1,749 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns. While heaping praise on Pickens, Lamb offered a subtle reminder of his own credentials.
鈥淭he last time I had OTAs and training camp,鈥 Lamb said, 鈥渨as 2023.鈥
___
AP NFL:
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation