There’s no doubt that through two weeks of performance as the WR2 alongside Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens has been what Dallas had hoped for. Pickens has made 13 catches and has frequently stretched the deep edge of the defense, totaling 166 yards and two touchdowns for the team.

But now, Lamb is out for an indeterminate amount of time with a high ankle sprain. Early estimates are that it could be about a month before he returns. Obviously, this is a very bad thing for a Cowboys team that needs to be able to rack up points to cover for its poor defense and have any chance at winning games.

It harkens back, though, to the offseason, during which the theme for the Cowboys was that both Pickens and Lamb were the team’s WR1. As Lamb said, via DLLS Cowboys, “We both ones. It ain’t no A, B, none of that. It’s one. You look over there, you see one. You look over here, you see another one. So do what you gotta do with that.”

Now all Pickens needs to do is prove it–and if he does, the Cowboys might be forced to pay him next offseason.

George Pickens Has Been a WR1

Pickens has had WR1-type games during his time in Pittsburgh. He had eight catches for 89 yards in an 18-16 upset over the Ravens last November, and seven catches for 131 yards in a win on New Year’s Eve in 2023. The week before that, he had four catches for 195 yards and two touchdowns.

He did that while never playing with a quarterback anywhere close to the quality of Dak Prescott.

As he heads into what will be his first crack at NFL free agency, Pickens has a chance to play Lamb’s role–no matter how they frame it, of course, Lamb is WR1 and Pickens is the WR2 here. But if he can be both reliable on short and medium routes while still breaking off deep plays over the next three or four weeks, he will have made a case for a significant raise.

CeeDee Lamb Absence Means Pickens Must ‘Step Up’

The owner, who signs the checks, surely will be watching. During his weekly hit with 105.3 in Dallas, Jerry Jones conceded that this is a big opportunity for Pickens. “Lamb presents a big challenge, especially against a team like Green Bay. We need players like Pickens to step up.”

Of course, it’s impossible to say whether Jones would pay to keep Pickens in place. The Cowboys have struggled to find the right complement for Lamb in his career in Dallas, and Pickens could well be it.

He had discipline issues while in Pittsburgh. No team has been historically more willing to over look those (with the exception of the Raiders, perhaps) than the Cowboys.

Cowboys Won’t Want to Pay $115 Million

But the top WR2 in the league, Tee Higgins in Cincinnati, just got a four-year, $115 million deal. It’s hard to imagine the Cowboys paying Pickens that.

During the summer, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport predicted Pickens would land a $76.5 million contract over three seasons, with $50.5 million guaranteed. The average value is about the same as what Higgins got on that, but the lower commitment might be enough to the Cowboys to keep him at that number.

Pickens has to earn it, though. Starting now.