FRISCO — Last week the Dallas Cowboys made one of the biggest splashes of the NFL offseason, trading for wide receiver George Pickens. Dallas had needed a true No. 2 alongside CeeDee Lamb in their receiving corps and they instead nailed down an asset arguably overqualified for such a label.
There's plenty of excitement still in the aftermath of the deal. The Cowboys, under different leadership on the offensive side with Brian Schottenheimer, add another major weapon for Dak Prescott in the passing game.
As far as the fit, there are no questions about how Pickens' style and abilities align with what the Cowboys have needed. However, it is the personality both on the field and in the locker room that has fans concerned.
That is the driving force of really the lone criticism to be had regarding this trade. New information detailing Pickens' perception behind the scenes among active Pittsburgh Steelers has come to light with insider Mark Kaboly revealing some of the team's veterans' negative views on him.
"I think it was getting really ugly behind the scenes there and I think some of the players of veteran leadership weren't too thrilled with George," he revealed while appearing on Pittsburgh CBS affiliate KDKA. "That pushed it to the edge.
"A lot of the players were finally fed up with him, and the right players were fed up with him."
Initial reports regarding Pickens' trade pegged a souring relationship between Pickens and team personnel as a culprit for his departure. That remains the case, but the veterans in the locker room apparently harbored some of those same feelings.
Does that mean he is bound for a similar fate in Dallas? No, but the prospects of this deal working out certainly hinge on him maturing and the Cowboys working him along the way to manage the personality.
For Cowboys leadership, namely Jerry and Stephen Jones, this sort of project is not something out of the ordinary and they have taken on polarizing players in the past.
But this is arguably the most fascinating of these sorts of challenges they have taken on in some time given the upside here. If they can get Pickens to leave the nonsense behind him once he gets started with the team, they may turn out one of the best offenses in the league.