With the NFL trade deadline just about a day away, the Dallas Cowboys suddenly find themselves at the center of the usual Jerry Jones swirl: stay put and keep pushing, or make another headline-grabbing move.
That question has only gotten louder after Dallas beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday afternoon. The Cowboys are in position to decide whether they want to keep loading up for a run in a wide-open NFC East, or take the other path and listen on players who could bring back value.
One name that has started popping up in that conversation is George Pickens.
The speculation picked up again when Michael Robinson of the NFL Network floated the idea that Dallas should act as a seller and send Pickens to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Pickens has been limited by injuries this season, and he did not play in Sunday’s Week 9 matchup. That absence only added fuel to the chatter that the Cowboys might be trying to keep him healthy for a potential deal. The team has said it wants to keep Pickens for the long haul, but with Jerry Jones, nothing ever feels completely off the table.
Robinson made the case that Kansas City would be the kind of landing spot that could change the balance of power.
"I’m going to go seller first, Dallas Cowboys, the buyer, the Kansas City Chiefs, and I’m talking George Pickens," Robinson said. "It’s going to take a lot of stuff for something like that to happen.
George Pickens is one of the ones, right? Like, he’s one of those guys at the wide receiver position.
When I look at Kansas City, man, I mean, wide receivers have led them in receiving only three out of eight games this season. A lot of times it’s Travis Kelce, the matchup nightmare on their offense.
"Could you imagine if Patrick Mahomes had an uber-talented receiver, uber-talented ex-receiver that he can go three-by-one and watch the coverage completely rotate to him? You think Kenneth Walker, who’s already having a hell of a year, you think he wouldn’t like this guy to be involved in that offense as well?
And again, you put a deep threat like that on his office, I think the Kansas City Chiefs, that would be the Chiefs, though. I like that.
I think that’s a great call."
The fit is obvious on paper. Pickens would give Patrick Mahomes the kind of No. 1 receiver presence Kansas City has been missing, and that would be a scary thought for the rest of the league.
Still, the idea feels more like speculation than a move that’s actually about to happen. For Dallas, the hope is that Pickens is still wearing the star after Tuesday evening.
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