Cowboys Major Trade Results from Deep-Dive Research on Pickens

FRISCO - "Deep-dive research'' into a wide receiver before the Dallas Cowboys trade for him?

It offers no guarantees.

After all, the Cowboys not only did that groundwork on Amari Cooper, but then followed it up with a $20 million per year contract that they soon after found so regrettable that they moved him to Cleveland for a paltry fifth-round pick.

But this time is different.

Right?

The move to land Pittsburgh Steelers receiver George Pickens in a post-NFL Draft trade is the result of the Cowboys' lengthy look at the idea - and at other ideas.

Dallas made no secret of wanting to acquire an "explosive No. 2 receiver'' to play alongside $34 million APY star CeeDee Lamb; COO Stephen Jones openly said so.

CowboysCountry.com reported before the draft that Dallas was in the process of identifying a handful of veteran receivers who might be available via trade.

It is now being reported that "the team considered its options and felt, throughout, that the best course was to let the draft play out first, then more seriously consider making a run at a receiver.''

That's not entirely accurate.

After putting down some conversational groundwork with the Steelers, we're told, Dallas opted to see what would happen with top draft target Tetairoa McMillan. 

If he's available at pick No. 12? Dallas selects him ... and there is no Pickens trade.

Said Jones to Albert Breer: “We had a nice list of guys that we were looking at, comparing that to what was available in the draft, and giving up the pick vs. picking one. And as you know, when you pick a receiver in the draft, you get him for a good number for four years, so obviously that was one of the routes we were looking at hard.”

But McMillan went earlier to Carolina. So Alabama guard Tyler Booker - straight off Will McClay's Big Board, really - comes to Dallas at No. 12. ...

But only after Dallas considered another move, back from 12, to pick up a first- and a second-rounder from Houston.

When that didn't happen, Cowboys reconsidered the trade options and went back to their phone calls.

We know now that Baltimore's Rashod Bateman was a discussion item, as were other guys. But on Sunday - after the draft was over - as CowboysCountry.com reported that morning, the Cowboys were back on the phone with Pittsburgh.

We also know that Dallas staffers were on the phone with other people who might offer background into what makes Pickens tick ...

Including what some think makes him tick like a time bomb.

That meant some on-the-sly calls to Pittsburgh and it meant checking in with some folks who knew Pickens at Georgia.

And in the end, the research was done. A 2026 third-round pick for a rental (Pickens is on the final year of his deal) with either a comp pick or an eventually re-signing of the player would work.

The locker room structure led by Dak Prescott and new coach Brian Schottenheimer would work, too.

“He’s just a dynamic receiver,” Jones said. “Everybody says we’re looking for a 2. I mean, George can be a 1. He’s got that type of talent. He’s got unbelievable ball-tracking ability. He’s got plenty of juice and he’s a fiery competitor. 

And we love that, he plays with an edge, and we think he’d be a good fit for our team.”

Actually, again, "everybody'' didn't say Dallas was "looking for an (explosive) 2.'' Stephen said it.

And then, to his and the Cowboys credit? They pulled the trigger on a controversial deal after their deep-dive research. Now all that needs to happen is ...

For it to work.