The Two Players Who Benefit the Most from the Acquisition of the Former Steelers Wide Receiver
After making the trade for George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cowboys get their long-awaited number two wide receiver to pair with CeeDee Lamb. After failing to grab Tetairoa McMillan in the draft, with the Carolina Panthers selecting him before the Cowboys, it took a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick to get Pickens. The trade will not only massively help quarterback Dak Prescott and Lamb, but two receivers on the team will have a load of pressure taken off of them. Jalen Tolbert and Jonathan Mingo can each fight for the receiver three spot, and each can thrive in their own way.
Jalen Tolbert
The Cowboys have been waiting for Tolbert to take that next step, especially last season. For what it is worth, Tolbert had a solid season last year, having seven touchdowns and 610 receiving yards. His game-winning touchdown on fourth and goal against the Steelers in Week Five was arguably the highlight of the season for the Cowboys and by far his best game of the year, with seven catches, 87 yards, and the aforementioned game-winning touchdown. Having Pickens in the offense will ease up the field for Tolbert and allow him to match up with the opposing team's corner three. He might not win against all his matchups, but if Tolbert takes the next step that the Cowboys have been waiting for, the Cowboys' offense could become that much better.
Jonathan Mingo
Questions arose when the Cowboys traded another fourth-round pick for Mingo mid-season from the Panthers. Even more critics came throughout the end of the year due to Mingo's very poor start in Dallas. However, missing Prescott and having to play with Cooper Rush really derailed any sort of hope Mingo had. Several times, notably vs. the Houston Texans, Mingo would beat his man, and the football would simply not be sent his way. Now that he has a healthy Prescott and, similarly to Tolbert, doesn’t have to carry the burden of being the number two option at receiver, he can go into this season with less pressure and prove those who believed he wasn’t worth trading for wrong.
