Cowboys news: George Pickens a big part of team’s peaceful offseason

There’s a very loud quiet surrounding George Pickens and the Dallas Cowboys ahead of training camp – Mauricio Rodriguez, AtoZ Sports

This is a great thing for all parties involved.

So, hey! George Pickens finally made a headline… for showing up to practice with Dak Prescott and other Dallas Cowboys offensive players at a “skill retreat” ahead of training camp.

That’s the first time Pickens has been news in a while. Which is proof the Cowboys’ franchise tag strategy with wide receiver George Pickens appears to be working exactly as planned. Particularly this week.

With the NFL’s July 15 deadline to sign franchise-tagged players to long-term deals just days away, the silence surrounding Dallas and Pickens tells the story better than any headline could. The Cowboys tagged Pickens earlier this offseason and then shut down all long-term contract negotiations, a move that seemed risky at the time. But the lack of drama heading into this week confirms the gamble is paying off.

The quiet surrounding Pickens is quite loud

In previous years, the July 15 deadline has been a source of anxiety for the Cowboys organization. Franchise-tagged players and their agents typically use the days leading up to the cutoff as leverage, pushing for extensions before the window closes. Once the deadline passes, Dallas locks in Pickens on a one-year, fully guaranteed deal with no path to a long-term extension until next offseason.

By announcing early that they were shutting down negotiations entirely, the Cowboys put the ball in Pickens’ court. They made it clear that a holdout from mandatory minicamp or training camp wouldn’t function as a negotiation tactic because there would be no negotiations to influence. That decision forced Pickens to evaluate what truly served his interests.

Here’s the thing about Pickens’ situation: He is entering a 2026 season that could define whether he becomes the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. If he replicates what he did in 2025 for a second consecutive year, the price tag in free agency will skyrocket.

For that to happen, he needs to be around the team. He needs to be at training camp, building chemistry with quarterback Dak Prescott and learning the offense. Pickens recognized that. He showed up for mandatory minicamp and told reporters he did not plan to hold in or hold out of training camp.

He may not be thrilled about playing on a one-year deal, but he sounds like someone ready to give Dallas his best effort in 2026. That creates a win-win scenario for both sides.

No.12) Who Makes Biggest Year-2 Jump? – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

These are some worthy candidates.

FRISCO, Texas – Football season is getting closer and closer.

The Cowboys are set to depart for training camp in less a month. That’s when we’ll get an up-close look at Brian Schottenheimer’s second season with this revised roster and coaching staff. When we get to Oxnard, that’s when we’ll start to get some real answers about this 2026 Cowboys team.

But what are the questions? We’ve compiled our annual list of pressing questions that need answers heading into the regular season. The staff writers, consisting of Patrik Walker, Tommy Yarrish, Nick Eatman, Mickey Spagnola and Kurt Daniels, weigh in on some of the pressing issues.

Today, we’ll continue the series with a look at which of the Cowboys heading into their second season with the team has the best chance to make a jump following their rookie campaigns.

No.12) Who Makes Biggest Year-2 Jump?

Patrik: My mind immediately jumps to Donovan Ezeiruaku here, but that name gets bumped immediately by an offensive player that I believe not enough people are talking about heading into Year 2, so allow me to do it here. For my money, I think it’ll be Tyler Booker making the biggest leap heading into his second season. Booker looked refined beyond his years as a rookie, and another offseason of training and learning from Tyler Smith who, by the way, can’t stop praising Booker, tells me something special is cooking that’s currently flying under many people’s radar because he’s not playing a skill position.

Let’s not forget that, heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, some believed there was no way the Cowboys would find a replacement for Zack Martin and, if they did, it would probably take years. Fast forward to now and when’s the last time you heard someone voice that concern? Exactly. You haven’t, and that’s a massive nod to what Booker was in Year 1 … and to what he might become in as early as Year 2.

Cowboys Suggested as Landing Spot for Former Elite CB to Add More Competition at Camp – Mike Moraitis, SI.com

Marcus Lattimore has been linked to Dallas.

Should the Cowboys sign Lattimore?

If there are no strings attached and the Cowboys can sign him to a contract with no guaranteed money, it wouldn’t hurt to bring Lattimore to training camp to add more competition.

If Lattimore pans out, the Cowboys could be getting an impact player for extremely cheap to help their secondary. If not, the veteran could be cut without any pain.

The problem with Lattimore is he simply can’t stay healthy, as the four-time Pro Bowler hasn’t played in more than 10 games in a season since 2021 and is coming back from a torn ACL.

Adding to that, Lattimore has already shown significant signs of decline, and it may only get worse with the veteran coming back from a serious knee injury at the age of 30.

At this point, Lattimore might not be any better than what the Cowboys have, so Dallas signing him remains unlikely, barring significant injury to the group the team already has.

Can new DC Christian Parker dig Cowboys out of defensive hole and into playoffs? – Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News

Analyzing where Dallas is defensively heading into the 2026 season.

How they stack up

Let’s start with the optimistic news for the Cowboys. As last season indicated, the Cowboys’ defense doesn’t have to necessarily be perfect thanks to their offense.

The Cowboys, under the play-calling of head coach Brian Schottenheimer, finished with the fifth ranked scoring offense in the NFL last season. The Cowboys finished top-10 in many categories. Quarterback Dak Prescott threw for over 4,000 yards, running back Javonte Williams ran for over 1,000, and both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens had over 1,000-yard receivers.

Despite some brief tension over Pickens’ contract status, all of those players are back for another season. The same goes for much of the team’s offense. Therefore, there’s optimism that the Cowboys could have a top-10 — maybe even top-five offense — in 2026.

But as the cliché goes, defense wins championships. The Seattle Seahawks had the top-ranked scoring defense in the NFL last regular season. They bludgeoned elite offenses in the postseason en route to a championship.

Other contenders had quality defenses, too. Among the 14 playoff teams last season, none had a lower-ranked scoring defense than 15th. That belonged to the Carolina Panthers, who made the playoffs despite having the 27th-ranked scoring offense in the NFL.

In 2024, the playoff team with the lowest-ranked scoring defense was the Washington Commanders (18th).

Of course, there are some exceptions. The 2023 Philadelphia Eagles, for example, finished with the 30th ranked scoring defense and still made the playoffs. They then lost 32-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild card round. 

The next year the Eagles had the second-ranked scoring defense in the NFL. Coincidentally, Parker joined the Eagles as a defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach after the 2023 season.

Daily discussion question: What is a personal rule you have for watching the Cowboys?