George Pickens’ Week 10 availability is still hanging in the balance after the Dallas Cowboys wideout sat out Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.
It was the first time since Dallas landed him in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year that Pickens missed a game because of injury. He had been dealing with multiple issues in recent weeks, but had managed to play through them until Sunday. The shoulder problem he carried into Week 9 no longer appeared to be the main concern, but the hamstring injury kept him limited in practice all week, left him with a questionable designation, and ultimately kept him inactive.
For now, the Cowboys are not making any firm promises about his return. On Monday, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Dallas would “try to get” him on the practice field to see where he’s at.
Co-owner Stephen Jones took the same cautious approach when asked about Pickens and Joey Porter Jr.
“I think we just have to get them out there, get them going again, and see how they’re coming along,” Jones said. “We’re certainly going to have to really see what our injury situation is this week. We’re going to have some challenges.”
There is at least a reason for optimism. Pickens was able to get in limited work last week, which points to the possibility that he’s not far from returning. At this stage, he looks more likely to play than not, but the Cowboys’ first injury report on Wednesday should give a much clearer picture.
In Pickens’ absence, Ryan Flournoy took on a much bigger role, playing a season-high 97.5% of snaps and catching two passes for 53 yards. That snap share topped his previous high in 2026, which was 87.2%.
Jonathan Mingo and rookie Camden Brown also saw expanded opportunities. Mingo logged a season-high 39.2% of snaps and Brown reached a career-best 36.7%. Mingo finished with one catch for 23 yards, while Brown was not targeted and instead contributed on special teams, returning three kickoffs for 78 yards.
As for the trade chatter around Pickens, there has been plenty of speculation tied to Dallas’ poor season, but Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported there is nothing to indicate the team wants to move him. Harris wrote that the Cowboys never seriously explored sending him elsewhere and that, seven months later, “that strategy remains the same ahead of the deadline, according to multiple sources.”
Never say never in the NFL, but right now a Pickens trade looks highly unlikely at best.
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