The talented receiver wants to stay in Dallas long term.<\/p>\n
Even though George Pickens skipped the Dallas Cowboys\u2019 voluntary workouts earlier this month, there\u2019s not currently an expectation that he will attempt to holdout for a long-term deal after signing the franchise tender in April. Appearing on the Saturday morning edition of\u00a0SportsCenter, ESPN\u2019s Jeremy Fowler reported that Pickens likes being with the Cowboys and there\u2019s hope that a multi-year deal will happen \u201cdown the road\u201d as he has been working out with Dak Prescott throughout the offseason:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe signed the franchise tag, $27 million. Hasn\u2019t really been a fixture in the building, kind of stayed away a little bit but I\u2019m told he has worked with Dak Prescott this offseason offsite. Loves being a Cowboy, loves a long-term deal more. They weren\u2019t able to get one, but they\u2019re hopeful down the road they can work it out. But I don\u2019t expect a holdout at this point, should be locked in for the Cowboys in 2026.\u201d There was some thought that Pickens would engage in an extended holdout after the Cowboys used the franchise tag on him in March, but instead he\u00a0signed<\/a>\u00a0the one-year tender guaranteeing him $27.3 million in 2026 on April 29.<\/p>\n Per\u00a0Nick Harris<\/a>\u00a0of the\u00a0Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Pickens wasn\u2019t present at the start of the Cowboys\u2019 voluntary offseason workouts on May 12. It is a voluntary portion of the offseason calendar, so he wasn\u2019t being fined for his absence.\u00a0Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer\u00a0told reporters<\/a>\u00a0in March he wasn\u2019t sure if Pickens would attend voluntary workouts.<\/p>\n The next key date on the calendar for the Cowboys is June 1 when they hold their first OTA session. There is no indication at this point that Pickens won\u2019t participate.\u00a0Dallas is in a difficult spot with Pickens in terms of working out a long-term deal. The team already has Prescott, CeeDee Lamb<\/a> and tight end Jake Ferguson<\/a>\u00a0signed<\/a>\u00a0to multiyear contracts.<\/p>\n The more\u00a0this Josh Sweat situation develops<\/a>, the harder it is for the Cowboys to ignore. Some rumors are just dust in the wind. They float around for a day or two, give folks something to fuss about, and disappear before anybody has to take them seriously. This one feels different. It has some roots to it. I like this one because it\u2019s a real Cowboys need with an NFC East twist, and the kind of coaching connection that makes a front office conversation worth having.<\/p>\n This Could Be More Than Another Cowboys Rumor<\/p>\n Not every name belongs in Dallas just because the Cowboys need help. I\u2019m not interested in\u00a0chasing every veteran pass rusher<\/a>\u00a0who gets attached to a Cowboys trade headline. This isn\u2019t one of those because I haven\u2019t heard much about the Cowboys being interested. The Cowboys not being interested is what has piqued my interest. Sometimes the player that ends up in Dallas is the one who no one saw coming, and I think this could be one of those times. Josh Sweat isn\u2019t just some worn-down name being sold off nostalgia. This is a guy\u00a0who is still highly productive<\/a>, disruptive, and is a player made for the exact defensive structure Dallas is trying to build.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Cowboys hired Christian Parker as defensive coordinator<\/a>\u00a0after he spent time on the Eagles staff. We all know this gives Dallas a direct connection to the same Philadelphia<\/a> building where Sweat became a proven edge rusher. This isn\u2019t a throwaway detail. This could be the hinge the whole thing swings on. Parker was close enough to know what kind of player Sweat is. I\u2019m not just talking about the sacks or the box score stats. I\u2019m talking about the habits, the preparation, the way he handled coaching. Most importantly, the way he fit inside a defense that knew what winning football looked like. This is one I feel like the Cowboys wouldn\u2019t be guessing about. They would have a defensive coordinator who can give the front office everything they need on Josh Sweat.<\/p>\n Christian Parker Changes the Entire Josh Sweat Conversation<\/p>\n Josh Sweat left Philadelphia for the Arizona Cardinals<\/a>\u00a0after helping the Eagles win big. He had eight sacks and 15 quarterback hits in the regular season with the Eagles, then added 2.5 sacks and three quarterback hits in Philadelphia\u2019s Super Bowl win. That\u2019s not window dressing, but big-stage production. Now the smoke is rising in Arizona<\/a>. Reports have said Josh Sweat is unhappy with the Cardinals, and a possible trade request has surfaced amid frustration with his contract situation.<\/p>\n Why it doesn\u2019t make \u2018cents\u2019 that the Cowboys are spending so much in this one area.<\/p>\n Predicting the future needs of the\u00a0Dallas Cowboys<\/a>\u00a0has been a national pastime over the years. A year ago, Dallas\u2019 upcoming needs at linebacker were about as predictable as they were serious, so it was no surprise they threw\u00a0Dee Winters<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Jaishawn Barham<\/a>\u00a0at the situation this offseason. A season before that, receiver led the needs list. After striking out on Tetairtoa McMillan in the draft, the Cowboys responded by trading for\u00a0George Pickens.<\/p>\n Looking towards 2027 it appears tight end may be an unavoidable need the Cowboys must address. Since breaking out in 2023 it\u2019s been two consecutive seasons of underachievement for TE1\u00a0Jake Ferguson.\u00a02024 was a historically poor season for the Wisconsin product<\/a>\u00a0and 2025 was, at best, a lesson in how NOT to gain yards after the catch. With seven combined fumbles over the last two seasons, Ferguson has been anything but \u201csafe\u201d serving as\u00a0Dak\u00a0Prescott\u2019s safety value.<\/p>\n Fergson\u2019s cap number in 2026 ranks seventh highest on the team and per OTC his contract ranks eighth amongst fellow tight ends. PFF graded Ferguson 50 overall, far below\u00a0Brevyn Spann-Ford<\/a>\u00a0who graded a respectable 16th. With a cap hit of over $9M again in 2027, the Cowboys could save money by cutting ties with the would-be 28-year-old. He headlines the\u00a0Cowboys\u2019 $16.2 million spend at the position, 11th-most in the league<\/a>.<\/p>\n Behind Ferguson on the depth chart, there aren\u2019t any obvious successors. Spann-Ford is a rising star and the Cowboys\u2019 top graded tight end, but he\u2019s primarily a blocker and lacks the downfield playmaking ability the team needs at TE1.\u00a0Luke Schoonmaker<\/a>\u00a0is a career underachiever who will be hard-pressed to match Spann-Ford\u2019s snap count in 2026. And in 2027, he\u2019s a free agent so he\u2019ll open up further vacancies on the Dallas depth chart. So, unless rookie undrafted free agent\u00a0Michael Trigg\u00a0impresses on and off the field in 2026, the Cowboys could be looking for two tight ends next offseason.<\/p>\n The margin between winning and losing is so thin in the NFL and the Cowboys have to do better when things get tight.<\/p>\n The NFL is the ultimate league of parity. This is part of why we all love it so much. Anything can happen, on any given Sunday as some like to say, and the margins for error are so thin compared to other sports and leagues.<\/p>\n We see this play out in terms of how NFL games often end. It always feels like things come down to the wire and wins and losses rest on how teams handle those final moments. Are they able to rise above and get the touchdown or field goal that they need, or can the defense lock in and get a stop?<\/p>\n These margins are thin as noted. The points of drama described often result in games ending with one team winning by a single score. Being able to be positive in that category is a big deal across the totality of a given season.<\/p>\n The Cowboys must fare better in one-possession games<\/p>\n As far as the Dallas Cowboys are concerned there is certainly room for improvement on the one-possession front. Last year was a mixed bag in that regard.<\/p>\n There were seven games played by the Cowboys last season that were ultimately decided by a single score.<\/p>\n 20-24 loss to Eagles<\/p>\n 40-37 win against Giants<\/p>\n 40-40 tie against Packers<\/a><\/p>\n 30-27 loss to Panthers<\/a><\/p>\n 24-21 win against Eagles<\/p>\n 31-28 win against Chiefs<\/a><\/p>\n 34-26 loss to Vikings<\/p>\n 30-23 win against Commanders<\/p>\n In total the Cowboys went 3-3-1 in one possession games last season, but it is important to note that some of these require a lot more context.<\/p>\n Consider the Giants win was a back and forth affair. That is a true and classic one-possession game where the Cowboys were fortunate to hold the ball last and win on a Brandon Aubrey<\/a> field goal. Another win they had though, the 24-21 victory over the Eagles, came after Philadelphia blew a 21-0 lead. That was fun and awesome, but those things are pretty unlikely and hard to count on. That should have been a loss and easily should have been one is the point.<\/p>\n