Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

George Pickens Continues to Dazzle in First Year with Cowboys – NFL Analyst Positions Former Steeler in the Conversation for Best Wide Receiver in Football!

George Pickens has been a revelation in his first season in Dallas!

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys had an unusual offseason this time around, what with the trade of Micah Parsons just days before the start of the new season. And while that trade may have raised nearly every eyebrow in the NFL community, the acquisition of wide receiver George Pickens was seen as a gamble.

There was no denying the talent Pickens possessed, but along with that, the youngster was in the news for the wrong reasons on one too many occasions. A lack of effort, social media antics, unsportsmanlike conduct, and other such issues were seen as the major flaws in signing him.

However, his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys since the start of this season has been anything but that. The former Steeler has quickly become an integral part of the Cowboys’ offense and a go-to target for quarterback Dak Prescott.

GEORGE PICKENS IS RIDICULOUS 🤯

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/Cnf7vPyBbs
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 24, 2025

Analyst Dan Orlovsky Feels Pickens Is in the Best Receiver Conversation

The fact that George Pickens is an exceptional talent and one of the better wide receivers in the league is a known fact. Covering him one-on-one has always been a challenge. However, NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky seems to feel that Pickens has improved much more this year and is no longer limited to just running the go-route.

As a matter of fact, with all the improvements in his game and his incredible performances for the Cowboys so far this season, Orlovsky also feels that Pickens is worthy to be considered as the best receiver in football at the moment.

"I think [George] Pickens has absolutely played himself into the conversation for being the best receiver in football."

—@danorlovsky7 pic.twitter.com/88wfH8nIIs
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) November 24, 2025

Just recently, Pickens was once again the major threat in the Cowboys’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The 24-year-old was targeted 9 times, and he caught all 9 passes for 146 yards and a touchdown as Dallas earned a huge win in Week 12.

George Pickens in His First Season with the Cowboys

Despite many having doubts regarding the Cowboys’ decision to trade for George Pickens in the offseason, things are working out better than expected. Pickens first took on the role of a WR2 behind CeeDee Lamb with no ill feelings.

And when Lamb got injured, Pickens took over as the main target for Dak Prescott. The duo has since formed a near-perfect connection, leading to several big plays for the team.

Receiving yards this season:

George Pickens: 1,054

Every Steelers WR: 1,082

Hard to overstate how sensational Pickens has been for the Cowboys. pic.twitter.com/7z312ZXfEK
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 24, 2025

So far this season, Pickens is number 2 among all wide receivers with 1,054 receiving yards, trailing only the Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba. His 8 receiving touchdowns also put him third in the league behind Davante Adams (12) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (9).

The Cowboys, who are 5-5-1 at present, would be hoping that he continues to turn in huge performances week in and week out, as that will give them a chance at making the postseason. Currently, Dallas is in 10th position and has just a slim chance of progressing.

Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Dallas Cowboys

George Pickens

NFL

Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!