The Cowboys have built something unusual heading into 2026: real continuity. All 11 starters are back from 2025, and for a team in a league that usually chews up rosters and spits them out, that kind of stability matters. It matters even more after Dallas got explosive production on that side of the ball last season.
The big offseason questions were always going to circle around the passing game, especially with Javonte Williams and George Pickens both reaching free agency. Dallas took care of one of them, bringing Williams back on a three-year, $24 million deal after what the team saw from him in his first year there.
Pickens is the tougher call. The Cowboys slapped the franchise tag on him, and he chose not to sit out while the sides sort through the long-term picture.
He wants to prove he deserves a major payday, and there’s still a chance Dallas can make that work. But the likelier path, especially if Pickens keeps producing at a high level, is that he eventually plays himself out of reach.
That possibility showed up in USA Today’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz’s latest 2027 NFL mock draft, where he has Dallas looking for a downfield threat in the first round.
At No. 16 overall, the Cowboys are projected to land Indiana receiver Charlie Becker. At 6-foot-4 and 207 pounds, Becker fits the profile of a true vertical weapon, and his 2025 numbers back that up: 20 yards per reception.
Middlehurst-Schwartz called Becker an “enticing replacement” if Pickens ends up leaving.
“Jerry Jones averted another offseason disaster with George Pickens shrugging off his franchise tag and lack of extension, but the detente might only be temporary. If the Cowboys balk at bringing Pickens back next offseason, finding a receiver to work alongside CeeDee Lamb will rocket to the top of their priorities,” Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote.
“A dangerous downfield weapon after averaging 20 yards per catch last season, Becker could be an enticing replacement option if he can continue expanding his comfort zone beyond contested-catch situations as he takes on a larger role in the Hoosiers offense.”
Becker’s path has been steady. He didn’t see much action as a freshman, but he became a key part of Indiana’s offense during its national championship run this past season. He finished with 34 catches for 679 yards and four touchdown receptions.
If he keeps trending up, Becker looks like the kind of first-round name Dallas would seriously consider. He wouldn’t be a direct stand-in for Pickens, but he would give the Cowboys a workable backup plan. Pairing him with CeeDee Lamb and an ascending Ryan Flournoy would keep the passing game moving, even if it wouldn’t stress defenses the way Pickens does.
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Cowboys Roster Cuts Are Already Raising Questions Around Young Talent
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Blue was hardly the only former Cowboy to find a new opportunity. Sam Williams, Julius Wood, and Trevor Keegan also moved on quickly, getting claimed or signed by other NFL teams in the wake of Dallas decisions. For the Cowboys, the immediate aftermath of cutdown day is more than a paperwork exercise, since it keeps exposing which young players other clubs believe are worth betting on. [Read more 🡒]