George to Big D; see ya, Gabe

By: Josh Frey-Sam

I had just woken up to share my latest Brief when I saw George Pickens had been dealt to the Dallas Cowboys.

Ironically, my lede alluded to CeeDee Lamb not having someone to take the attention away from him, and how he was one of the losers to emerge from the draft because of that.

Not anymore.

The Steelers traded Pickens, their former second-round pick, and a 5th round pick to Big D in exchange for a 3rd and a 6th.

The trade felt very on-brand for both organizations and didn’t really come as a surprise.

The writing was on the wall for Pickens after Pittsburgh acquired DK Metcalf.

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin has publicly criticized Pickens for his lack of maturity, and it felt like it would be tough for him and Metcalf to co-exist in a locker room.

And so, the Steelers deal another talented receiver with character issues.

On the other end — Jerry Jones, who’s never been afraid to welcome someone with extra baggage.

It sounds like the Steelers immediately popped on Jones’ radar after the Cowboys missed out on Tet McMillian in the draft.

Still just 24, Pickens hasn’t really blossomed as an all-around player yet. His ability to play above the rim has carried over from college and made him one of the premier deep threats in the league, but his route tree is limited, and he has yet to break out because of that.

I also won’t discount the role a lack of quarterback has played in his career. Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph weren’t exactly delivering quality target after quality target.

Pickens fits in well in Dallas, though. His skillset is exactly what the Cowboys were hoping to acquire in McMillan — a big body with a large catch radius who can stretch the field and command attention away from Lamb.

This adds another dimension to the Cowboys’ offence, and now they become one of the more anticipated units to watch this season.

The financials are simple in this one: the Steelers are left with a little over $500k in dead money (Pickens’ signing bonus), while the Cowboys take on a $3.6M cap hit.

It’s important to note that Pickens is a free agent after this season and could be in line for a hefty pay increase, especially if he shines in Big D.

Fantasy-wise, I kinda love this for everyone involved. Pickens gets a real quarterback, and although he’s the clear WR2 in Dallas, he should get lots of love in an offence that projects to throw the ball a ton.

Meanwhile, CeeDee Lamb should feast out of the slot even more than he already does.

In Pittsburgh, Metcalf becomes the clear target hog. Even with Rudolph potentially throwing him the ball, he still has value as the alpha. I also like what this does for rookie RB Kaleb Johnson, because I think the Steelers are going to be extremely run-oriented next season.

Shortly after the big trade, the Jaguars released WR Gabe Davis, who leaves Jacksonville after suiting up in just 10 games.

Gabe was, well, underwhelming as a Jag. If we’re being honest, he didn’t really warrant the $24M guaranteed that they gave him last offseason, but that was under a different regime that was probably forcing the issue after losing Calvin Ridley.

Now with second-year WR Brian Thomas Jr. on the brink of star status, the addition of Dyami Brown and rookie Travis Hunter now in the fold, Davis fell out of favour.

The Jags designated him a post-June 1 cut, which means they’ll be able to spread his $20.5M dead cap across the next two seasons. They’ll pay $5.7M this year and $14.6M in 2026.

Davis, 26, is already being linked to a couple of teams. The Cardinals, Giants and Jets are all said to be potential suitors.

The Cards probably make the most sense to me. Davis can play the X and allow a bit more flexibility for Marvin Harrison Jr. in the lineup.

I also heard the Steelers just lost a receiver.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh