“For each week of the off-season, Ron Rigney will take a look at a player who has changed teams and see what their new digs mean for their consistency.”
George Pickens Moving From PIT to DAL
The latest major move in this busy NFL off-season is the trade of WR George Pickens to the Cowboys. It sure is flashy, and it is a very Jerry Jones move. But does it have an impact on Pickens’ consistency? Let’s take a look.
The most obvious change will be at the QB spot. Pickens was able to be 50% consistent in 2024 with the combo of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields tossing it. The PIT signal callers were just 36% and 30% consistent, respectively, which makes Pickens’ underwhelming consistency number a bit more impressive. Since 2024 was a disaster for Dakota Rainn Prescott, let’s overlook it for now. The two seasons prior, he was 10th and 6th in consistency, so obviously the QB situation gives Pickens a bit of a bump, but I’m going to temper expectations a bit.
If you look at the Cowboys’ depth chart, there’s no one currently on the roster who will challenge for the WR2 spot. Pickens is far and away the WR2. That said, he’s also never lined up opposite anyone like CeeDee Lamb. Even with the dismal QB situation in PIT, Pickens has seen over 100 targets in each of the past two seasons. In 2023, he led the league with 18.1 ypc, so there should be plenty of opportunities for the deep ball.
Got Your Big Guy Football Consistency Report?
The Cowboys play in a division with two high-powered offenses in Washington and Philly, but will also have matchups with KC, LAC, GB, and MIN, who can all put up points, which will lead to targets since these games have shootout potential. Looking at the other side of the football, the ‘Boys have a few juicy matchups with CAR, LV, and NYJ. Overall, the schedule is a bit scary with 11 games coming against teams projected to be ranked in the top half of the league defensively. The Dallas defense should be healthy heading into the season and is projected to be a Top-10 unit if they can maintain that. It could be tough to see a lot of points being scored in Big D week to week.
If you look at the Cowboys’ depth chart, there’s no one currently on the roster who will challenge for the WR2 spot. Pickens is far and away the WR2. That said, he’s also never lined up opposite anyone like CeeDee Lamb. Even with the dismal QB situation in PIT, Pickens has seen over 100 targets in each of the past two seasons. In 2023, he led the league with 18.1 ypc, so there should be plenty of opportunities for the deep ball.
The Cowboys play in a division with two high-powered offenses in Washington and Philly, but will also have matchups with KC, LAC, GB, and MIN, who can all put up points, which will lead to targets since these games have shootout potential. Looking at the other side of the football, the ‘Boys have a few juicy matchups with CAR, LV, and NYJ. Overall, the schedule is a bit scary with 11 games coming against teams projected to be ranked in the top half of the league defensively. The Dallas defense should be healthy heading into the season and is projected to be a Top-10 unit if they can maintain that. It could be tough to see a lot of points being scored in Big D week to week.
Consistent NFL Faces This will Help:
Dak Prescott
Despite seeing some tough defenses, Pickens makes for a talented second option. It will give Dak another downfield weapon. It doesn’t move him up my QB board, but I’ll pay a little more attention to him in 2 QB leagues. He won’t have much of a run game to lean on if things stay the same as they currently are on the depth chart. He will need to look to his receivers to make things happen.
Pittsburgh Wide Receivers
Roman Wilson, Calvin Austin III, and Scotty Miller should see an uptick in targets by default. A guy to keep an eye on is Lance McCutcheon. He’s a raw, former late-round pick, but is a great athlete.
Consistent NFL Faces This Will Hurt:
Mason Rudolph
Yep, he’s the starter for PIT as of right now. We have no clue what the ayahuasca will tell Aaron Rodgers to do, but if he’s playing, this looks like his best option. Whomever it ends up being, not having Pickens hurts.
DK Metcalf
This one is simple. He’s the biggest threat in the PIT passing game. He will be the focus unless other moves are made to sure up the position. It won’t be easy for him.
Jake Ferguson
Ferguson was already coming off a down year, but now he will forfeit some targets to Pickens. I like him as a late-round backup, but we weren’t sure the consistency was going to be there in the first place. This move doesn’t help things.
Overall Take:
His current ADP is WR 29, which is a bit too rich for me. I’ll wait and take a few guys after him. I like him in this offense, and he will see targets. But they play a lot of good defenses in 2025. I don’t trust Dak, so overall I think I’ll stay away from Pickens in most formats.
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