George Pickens hasn’t been a problem for the Cowboys through four games of the 2026 season. He just hasn’t been the force Dallas paid for, either.
That matters, because the franchise tag came with a $27.3 million price tag, and a 2-2 start has already shown how much the Cowboys need more than a few splash plays from their wideout. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have kept the offense humming, while Javonte Williams and Jake Ferguson have chipped in as touchdown threats when needed.
But Pickens has been more quiet than dominant: 18 catches, 225 yards and no touchdowns. That pace - 77 receptions, 956 yards and zero scores - doesn’t come close to the kind of production Dallas expects from him.
Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be the spot where that changes.
The setup looks favorable for Pickens in Week 5, and it starts with how defenses have been forced to handle Dallas. Coming off Lamb’s big showing last week - 17 catches for 189 yards and a touchdown against what was described as arguably the NFL’s best secondary - the Cowboys’ passing game is once again looking like a pick-your-poison situation. That kind of outing is the sort of reminder that can pull coverage back toward Lamb and open the door for Pickens.
That door may already be cracked open by Tampa Bay’s injuries.
Starting cornerback Benjamin Morrison missed Week 4 and did not practice on Tuesday. Starting free safety Antoine Winfield II, one of the league’s best deep defenders, is also out for Thursday. That leaves the Buccaneers thinner on the back end, and it creates a tough assignment for Zyon McColllum, who can only track one of Lamb or Pickens.
If Todd Bowles’ defense leans toward Lamb, Pickens should see the ball more often. And if Morrison is unavailable again, Jacob Parrish is the likeliest fill-in.
Parrish had a solid showing last week against the Green Bay Packers, intercepting a pass and breaking up another, but that came while he was dealing with tight ends and Matthew Golden. The week before, he allowed five completions for 107 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown to Jordan Addison.
Last year, Parrish gave up 60 catches for 665 yards and three touchdowns, while opponents posted a 104.8 passer rating when targeting him.
That’s the kind of profile Dallas should like.
There’s also the matter of Pickens under the lights. The numbers from last season say he didn’t really change much in primetime compared with the rest of the schedule, at least on average.
But the week-to-week swings were a different story. Three of his four lowest-yardage games came in standalone matchups, while two of his four biggest yardage totals also came in primetime.
In five of those seven spotlight games, he was either very productive or very quiet.
So yes, Pickens can be volatile in these settings. But this one lines up for the good version. The Buccaneers are shorthanded, Lamb just reminded everyone how dangerous Dallas can be through the air, and the matchup suggests Pickens could finally get the kind of runway that lets him break out again.
That’s the hope in Dallas, anyway. The Cowboys want last year to look like the beginning of something real, not a one-year spike.
They want to believe Pickens is the difference-maker they’re paying for. He hasn’t fully looked like that in 2026 yet, but Thursday night gives him a clean chance to start.
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Fergusons place in that jersey history feels secure, but what makes the story more interesting for Dallas is that his arc is still very much on the rise. He is signed through the 2029 season, giving the Cowboys a chance to keep building around a young tight end who has already outgrown the usual footnote status attached to a number and may still have his best football ahead of him. [Read more 🡒]