George Pickens could see a much different role in Dallas than the one he held for most of his NFL career.
During minicamp, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said the team wants to use Pickens in multiple alignments instead of keeping him almost exclusively at the X receiver spot.
“We want to move George around more,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s not just going to live at X.”
Such a change would be notable given how Pickens was used last season. According to Pro Football Focus, he ranked 90th out of the 91 most-targeted receivers in slot snap percentage, lining up there on just 10% of his snaps.
Despite that limited versatility in alignment, Pickens remained a productive outside receiver. Dallas appears interested in broadening his responsibilities and creating more matchup opportunities within the offense.
The approach could give the Cowboys greater flexibility alongside CeeDee Lamb, who has experience playing both inside and outside. Moving Pickens around may also help Dallas create favorable looks against different defensive coverages.
Schottenheimer also praised Pickens for quickly picking up the offense after returning to the team.
“When George came back, I was curious to see how much he remembered,” Schottenheimer said. “But he was on it.”
Beyond changing where Pickens lines up, Dallas is working to expand the route concepts aligned with his strengths. Schottenheimer noted that defenses increasingly adjusted to routes that were successful in the past, particularly slants.
The Cowboys' goal is to build additional options off those familiar concepts so opponents cannot key on them as easily. If that plan works, Pickens could become an even more versatile piece of Dallas' passing attack in 2025.
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