Why Cowboys Tagging George Pickens Works Perfectly

The Dallas Cowboys and star wide receiver George Pickens saw the franchise tag deadline pass with crickets on Wednesday.

Pickens will play with a $27.3 million tag in 2026 after the negotiation deadline passed, and it's a true win for the Cowboys for now. After all, Dallas boasts two of the best wideouts in the league, based on ESPN's rankings.

Pairing Pickens with fellow star wideout CeeDee Lamb gives quarterback Dak Prescott a dangerous duo in the passing game. Pickens actually had the stronger season statistically in 2025 with 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns.

Lamb had 75 catches for 1,077 yards and three touchdowns last season. Prescott piled on the offense with those two despite a losing season last year.

Expect more of the same this season, and Pickens' impact on opposing defenses could give Lamb his best opportunity to match his monster 2023 season. Lamb was unstoppable that year with 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns.

That was with Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup having modest seasons that year. If Pickens takes off again, he takes away some of the coverage pressure against Lamb.

Pickens will look to surpass his career numbers from 2025. After all, a new contract is on the line, whether with the Cowboys in 2027 or another team.

Prescott has two equally dangerous wideouts as the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers on offense, a rarity in the NFL. That could mean more big numbers for Prescott in 2026, as he could shoot for career highs left and right.

His previous career numbers consist of 4,552 yards, 37 touchdowns and a 68.8% completion rate. Most of that success came in the 2021 season, when Prescott had Lamb and former star wideout Amari Cooper.

Now, Lamb clearly can be a Cooper-level complement, and the Cowboys expect to soar on offense because of it. The Cowboys also pulled it off with only doing the franchise tag for Pickens, which kicks the can down the road on a new contract.

Big contracts haven't been kind to the Cowboys in recent years, with holdouts and off-field chatter. Pickens gets another year to prove himself, and the Cowboys buy more time to find a way to afford Pickens beyond 2026.

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This story was originally published July 15, 2026 at 11:59 PM.