Cowboys Chasing Eagles In 2-Receivers Arms Race
FRISCO- In the mind's eye of George Pickens, this is historcally normal.
'I feel like two receivers are kind of normal,'' the newest Dallas Cowboys star said on Wednesday in his first visit with the DFW media. "When I used to watch football (as a kid), there was always a good receiver, and then there was also another good receiver on the side of him.'
Advertisement
Pickens is talking about the idea of one team employing two studs, and no matter how it was when he was growing up ...
There is something about it in today's NFL.
On the heels of the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl LIX triumph, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have been named the NFL's best wide receiver.
But now, a sudden change ... as Dallas is (finally?) giving chase in an arms race as the position.
Brown and Smith are 'the total package physically,'' and the proof is in their performance.
But here come the Cowboys, with Dak Prescott as the QB triggerman and with Lamb as his main main.
In 2023, Lamb was an All-Pro as he set career highs in catches (an NFL-best 135), yards (1,749) and touchdowns (12).
Advertisement
He's 26.
Pickens, 24, led the Steelers in receiving yards each of the past two years, led the league by averaging 18.1 yards per catch in 2023, and is physically capable of matching Lamb.
Which means Lamb and Pickens are capable of matching the Eagles.
In one ranking, the groupings ended up including Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Minnesota's Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, Detroit's Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams and Dallas' new duo.
Brown and Smith have proven chemistry and a track record. In Philadelphia's quest for back-to-back Super Bowl titles, it's not just talk.
Advertisement
And in Dallas?
'It excites me a lot because ... we can work off each other,' Pickens said, scoffing at the 'made-up'' idea of "a 1A and a 1B'' ...
'There's no, 'He gets the ball, I get the ball.' We're working off each other. That's why I always come back to building a winning culture. And that's kind of what we've been talking about in Dallas.'
Related: Cowboys Dak Prescott Is George Pickens 'First Real QB'
Related: Cowboys George Pickens Vows To 'Grow Up' After Blockbuster Trade
Want to come inside the Cowboys world? Check out the Fish Report!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
17 minutes ago
- Newsweek
NY Giants Star Issued Jaxson Dart an NFL Reality Check
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Since Jaxson Dart hasn't suited up for his first NFL game yet, the rookie can't claim his first "welcome to the league" moment. However, with a handful of minicamp practices in the bag, the rookie quarterback can say he's quickly getting a reality check, and it's all thanks to the two-time Pro Bowler, Brian Burns. "I don't think I've had, like, my full experience of kind of seeing that, but I've had a little experience with Brian Burns chasing me," Dart said, according to GiantsWire, discussing the speed of the game at the NFL level. "He had a read option play and just, you know, his ability to come back and chase me down was kind of crazy." Jaxson Dart #2 of the Mississippi Rebels celebrates after being Penn State Nittany Lions during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 30, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Jaxson Dart #2 of the Mississippi Rebels celebrates after being Penn State Nittany Lions during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 30, 2023 in Atlanta, player in Dart's position would truly enter the big league and expect the game to be at the same speed as the college level, but it's clearly not taking long for Dart to find out just how much of a difference there is. Burns is a good test for a young guy like Dart. After collecting three seasons of NCAA experience at Florida State, the linebacker entered the NFL as the 16th overall pick in the 2019 Draft. He spent all but one of his first six seasons playing for the Carolina Panthers. In Carolina, Burns played 80 games with 67 of those matchups as a starter. He registered nearly 250 tackles and produced 46 sacks over that time. During the 2021 and 2022 NFL seasons, Burns was voted into the league's Pro Bowl game. During the 2023 season, which served as his final in Carolina, Burns picked up 50 tackles and eight sacks. Carolina wanted Burns on the franchise tag. They ended up trading him to the Giants eight days after tagging him. New York rewarded Burns with a five-year deal. After getting paid the big bucks, the veteran appeared in 17 games in 2024. He racked up another 8.5 sacks and 71 tackles. The Giants hope that Burns can continue to keep up his high level of play on game days and in practice, where he's challenging a youngster like Dart. Following a four-season run in the NCAA, which included one season with USC and the rest at Ole Miss, Dart enters the New York market with expectations of eventually taking over as the franchise quarterback of the Giants. Since Dart trails two seasoned veterans on the depth chart, offseason practices and the preseason will be critical to his development this year. Although the Giants are still building to reach contender status in the NFC, they have plenty of solid veterans around to help Dart in his early development. Burns' NFL reality check will be one valuable lesson as New York prepares for the final phase of minicamp and training camp soon.
Fox News
23 minutes ago
- Fox News
Jordan Love 'excited' to face Aaron Rodgers when Packers meet Steelers, hopes to exchange jerseys
With Aaron Rodgers officially signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he's set for some pretty fun reunions on the 2025 schedule. Not only will he be facing his former New York Jets teammates in a Week 1 battle, but the Steelers will also be hosting the team Rodgers won four league MVP trophies with over his future Hall of Fame career. And Rodgers' Green Bay Packers successor, Jordan Love, can't wait for the "Sunday Night Football" reunion. The Packers and Steelers will square off on Oct. 26 at Acrisure Stadium in the primetime slot, and Love told Channel 3000 during his round of golf at the American Family Insurance Championship on Friday how much he's looking forward to it. "It's going to be fun. It's going to be awesome. I'm excited for it," Love said. "I can't wait to be on different sides, meeting up, and I know we'll talk pregame, things like that. And hopefully we can exchange jerseys after." Love was taken 26th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, which shocked some considering Rodgers was showing no signs of slowing down under center. Well, it seems to light an extra fire in his belly, as Rodgers went on to win back-to-back MVP awards in the 2020 and 2021 seasons while Love learned behind him as his backup. But in 2022, Rodgers saw his final season with the Packers after an 8-9 record, and Green Bay made it clear who was next up. Love took all the lessons he learned from Rodgers and cemented himself as the team's quarterback of the future, going 9-8 with 4,159 yards passing with 32 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in his third NFL season (first as the team's starter). The Packers signed Love to an extension before the 2024 season, and though he dealt with an early injury, he went 9-6 over his 15 games to lead his team to the playoffs as Green Bay went 11-6. While Love is looking to keep stacking up playoff seasons, he was tapped into Rodgers' offseason journey this year, saying he wasn't "too surprised" to see him choose Pittsburgh. "I was excited for him, that he was obviously coming back and going to be playing. There were also some rumors that he might be done, so just knowing he's going to keep playing, that's pretty awesome." Love reiterated what he's said in the past about Rodgers, that he was a good mentor while they were teammates despite Green Bay drafting Rodgers' successor. After all, Rodgers went through it himself when he was drafted as Brett Favre's replacement. "I appreciate definitely the way A-Rod handled being in that situation, and I think a big part of it – which he told me – was he knew how it was for him being in that same position and the things that he went through and the way the situation might've been handled [differently]. I think perspective was: 'I'm trying to go about this a little bit differently,' which I think was awesome," Love explained. "In my time with A-Rod, we had a great relationship. It was awesome being in the same room with him, being able to learn." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Giants' veteran wideout could have career-best season with new quarterback
New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton (86) gestures during warm ups before a game between New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. Credit: Julian Leshay Guadalupe/ / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton (86) gestures during warm ups before a game between New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024. Credit: Julian Leshay Guadalupe/ / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Giants WR Darius Slayton has been the consummate professional throughout his career in New York. Over the last six years, Slayton has been through each of the team's ups and downs, but has never once complained. His patience for a brighter future is set to be rewarded. The Giants are pairing Slayton with an upgrade at quarterback Slayton signed a three-year, $36 million contract extension with the Giants this offseason despite all signs pointing to a split between the two parties entering free agency. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images The surprising decision from Slayton to re-sign was then accompanied by a major upgrade at quarterback. Advertisement The Giants signed future Hall of Fame quarterback Russell Wilson to a one year deal this offseason, giving them stability and experience at quarterback that they never had during Slayton's first six seasons in the league. The addition of Wilson should have a profound effect on several of the Giants' offensive weapons, including Slayton, who could be in store for a career year. Russell Wilson's deep passing ability could lead to Slayton's breakout Wilson is among the best deep ball passers in the NFL. In 2024, he threw 50 passes 20+ yards downfield, completing 27 (54.0%) for 851 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions in only 11 starts. This earned him a 97.3 PFF Deep-Passing Grade, which ranked first in the league. Credit: Anne-Marie Caruso/ / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Throughout his career, arguably the biggest strength in Slayton's skill set has been his deep receiving ability. He is fast and adept at tracking moon balls downfield — Wilson's specialty. Advertisement The best season of Slayton's career came in 2023 when he totaled 770 yards and four touchdowns despite the Giants' overturn at quarterback. When Daniel Jones went down with a season-ending knee injury, it was the presence of Tyrod Taylor in the lineup that sparked Slayton's production. Taylor is an aggressive quarterback who took far more deep shots than Jones. Slayton was the beneficiary, hauling in several long balls, including deep touchdowns against the Rams and the Eagles near the end of the season. Wilson should be able to replicate that aggression this season. With Wilson under center, Slayton is primed for a far more explosive 2025 campaign. Related Headlines
