George Pickens’ Rollercoaster Continues in Dallas - And Steelers Fans Know the Ride All Too Well
When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys before the 2025 season, it felt like a gut punch to a fanbase that had watched the young wideout flash superstar potential. For much of the year, Pickens looked every bit the All-Pro talent many believed he could be. But lately, Cowboys fans are getting a closer look at the other side of the Pickens experience - the inconsistency, the lapses in effort, and the frustrating stretches that made the Steelers hit pause on his long-term future.
Sunday night’s primetime matchup against the Minnesota Vikings was another quiet chapter in what’s become a puzzling few weeks for Pickens. Despite Dak Prescott throwing for nearly 300 yards, Pickens managed just three catches on six targets for 33 yards. That kind of output from a WR1-caliber player in a high-leverage game raises eyebrows - especially when it’s not the first time it’s happened recently.
This wasn’t an isolated dip in production either. Just a week earlier on Thursday Night Football against the Detroit Lions, Pickens had one of his most frustrating games in a Cowboys uniform.
His effort was questioned - and not just by fans. Routes looked half-hearted, the urgency wasn’t there, and the result was a mere 37 receiving yards on nine targets.
For a player of Pickens’ caliber, that’s not just underwhelming - it’s concerning.
Zoom out a bit, and the numbers over the past three weeks tell the story. Pickens has hauled in just 14 of 28 targets - a 50% catch rate - and turned those into 158 yards.
That’s 5.6 yards per target, a far cry from the explosive numbers he posted earlier in the season. Add in two fumbles and a pair of interceptions thrown by Prescott while targeting him, and the chemistry just isn’t clicking right now.
In fact, Prescott’s passer rating when throwing to Pickens over this stretch sits at a dismal 37.5.
That’s not the kind of stat line you expect from a supposed game-changer.
Now, let’s be clear: Pickens is still immensely talented. He’s capable of making jaw-dropping catches and taking over games.
But the issue - and this is something Steelers fans know all too well - is consistency. When Pickens is locked in, he looks like one of the best receivers in football.
But when the focus slips or the effort dips, the production follows.
Steelers fans lived through this same storyline not long ago. Over his final four games in Pittsburgh, Pickens posted just 11 catches on 26 targets for 172 yards - that’s 6.6 yards per target.
And in a crucial season finale against the Bengals with playoff seeding on the line, he was targeted six times and didn’t record a single yard. That game stuck with fans - not just because of the numbers, but because of what it said about his reliability in big moments.
The truth is, Pickens will be as good as the effort he brings each week. When he’s locked in, he’s a nightmare for defenses. But when the motor isn’t running hot, it shows - in the tape, in the box score, and in the flow of the offense.
At just 24 years old, Pickens still has time to put it all together. He’s having a strong year overall, and there’s no denying the upside. But for Cowboys fans - and for the coaching staff - the last few weeks have been a sobering reminder that talent alone doesn’t guarantee production.
As for Steelers fans? They’ve been down this road.
And while some might still wish he were catching passes in black and gold - especially given Pittsburgh’s own struggles at receiver - this recent stretch offers a bit of validation. The decision to move on from Pickens wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t made blindly either.
In the NFL, potential is only part of the equation. Consistency, effort, and accountability matter just as much. And right now, Pickens is learning - or perhaps re-learning - that lesson in Dallas.