The NFC East keeps getting tougher
The NFC East just took another step toward returning to the NFC Beast, and things might have gotten tougher for the New York Giants.
That’s because the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers are finalizing a trade for wide receiver George Pickens.
The Cowboys and Steelers have been working on a trade involving WR George Pickens since before the draft, sources say.
Talks stalled, but Dallas came back with an improved effort that eventually lands Pickens from Pittsburgh. https://t.co/oV3Ol1dt1x pic.twitter.com/AidNS7TTzg
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) May 7, 2025
Pickens is a highly physical receiver and one of the premier contested catch wideouts in the NFL. He’ll add an outside presence to counterbalance CeeDee Lamb, who does his best work out of the slot, as well as give Dak Prescott another option down the field.
From the Giants’ perspective, the addition of Pickens will test their young secondary. They held him to 4 catches for 74 yards when the Giants played the Steelers last year, which was significantly less than the 111 yards and a touchdown he racked up against the Jets the week before. The additions of Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland, as well as the (expected) development of Deonte Banks, Dru Phillips, and Tyler Nubin within Shane Bowen’s defense should allow the Giants to keep Pickens in check.
Likewise, the Giants now have Russell Wilson, who had a strong rapport with Pickens last year and can help provide insight into the player for the defense.
His biggest impact will likely be making it that much harder to double team CeeDee Lamb.
This is a deal that’s been a long time coming, as rumors of a trade started percolating in the run-up to the 2025 NFL Draft. It always seemed a bit inevitable because it’s a deal that makes sense for both sides. The Cowboys have been desperate for some sort of offensive threat to take the pressure off of Lamb, while the Steelers need to recoup assets after trading D.K. Metcalf.
The Cowboys were widely projected to add an offensive skill position player in the draft. Pre-draft projections tied them to receiver Tetairoa McMillan, running back Ashton Jeanty, or even making a splash trade up for Travis Hunter. Instead, Dallas drafted Alabama guard Tyler Booker, and didn’t grab an offensive skill position player until the fifth round (running back Jaydon Blue from Texas). Now it appears as though they had their sights set on Pickens the whole time.
There have been persistent rumors that Pickens is a headache behind the scenes, which is why the Steelers were willing to move him rather than pair him with Metcalf. The Cowboys have never had a problem with “strong” personalities or potential character concerns. However, it’s also worth wondering just how much of a problem Pickens was that a team like the Steelers — with a coach like Mike Tomlin — would be willing to part with him for a third-round pick.
