The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for their first season under the direction of new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, and the team will certainly be one of the most watched in the coming months. With Schottenheimer at the helm, along with owner and general manager Jerry Jones, the Cowboys have added some fresh players on their squad for 2025, and fans are hoping the new guys fill some of the holes that were apparent in last year’s roster.

The offseason is a time for teams to try to find the best players to fit their changing needs. With that in mind, Dalton Wasserman at PFF has released a tally with the biggest impact offseason acquisition for each NFL team based on PFF data and research, including for the Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys’ Top Offseason Acquisition

While there are no insignificant players on the Cowboys’ squad, one new face stands out. It’s wide receiver George Pickens, who the team got during a trade with the Steelers.

The deal was well worth it, according to Wasserman’s May 20 feature. He names Pickens as the best find for the Cowboys during the offseason, adding that he has a “99.9 deep receiving grade in 2024,” which is “tied for the highest in the NFL.”

“Dallas’ offense declined last season due to a lack of a legitimate receiving threat aside from CeeDee Lamb,” Wasserman stated in the piece. “They recently traded for George Pickens to change that. Pickens tied for the NFL lead last season with a perfect 99.9 receiving grade on deep targets (20-plus yards).”

He added, “Meanwhile, Cowboys wide receivers ranked 21st in the NFL in deep receiving grade, and they were only that high mainly due to Lamb’s downfield production.”

Grading the Dallas Cowboys

In a separate PFF feature, this one published May 13, Trevor Sikkema grades all of the NFL teams for what they’ve done during the offseason.

The team with the best grade in the report is the Chicago Bears, getting an A+. “Ben Johnson is now at the helm of a team with a much stronger offensive line and plenty of high-ceiling rookies,” Sikkema stated. The team at the opposite end is the New Orleans Saints, which received a D-. “New Orleans is in rough shape following a lackluster offseason and Derek Carr’s retirement,” Sikkema stated.

The Cowboys didn’t get the best grade. They came in at a C+, and Sikkema explains why they got that grade.

“This grade comes down to what Brian Schottenheimer is as a head coach,” he stated in the piece. “The Cowboys waited a long time to make a move to hire him (and determine Mike McCarthy’s future), watching several good head coach candidates sign elsewhere in the meantime. They were also very quiet in free agency (not uncommon for them) when they had money to spend.”

He added that the good news is the Cowboys’ draft was a “home run, especially the team’s first three picks.” However, “I remain worried about how their offensive and defensive lines will come together in 2025, with Zack Martin retiring on offense and the duo of Mazi Smith and Osa Odighizuwa, who earned PFF run-defense grades of 35.9 and 50.8, respectively, slated to start again,” he added.