The Dallas Cowboys have landed their No. 2 receiver to pair opposite star CeeDee Lamb, but oddsmakers see it as a very slight move in the right direction — if it impacted them at all.
The acquisition of George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday saw Dallas’ consensus Super Bowl odds shift slightly from +7500 to +7000. However, several sportsbooks didn’t react, with BetRivers telling Field Level Media that the trade “didn’t move the needle” for the Cowboys’ or Steelers’ futures.
The only impact at the book was Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott moving from +2500 to +2000 to lead the NFL in regular-season passing yards in 2025.
BetMGM likewise did not shift the futures for either team, with the Steelers remaining at +4000 and the Cowboys at +6600.
“Very few players outside of quarterbacks impact the lines. Pickens is not one of those players,” a BetMGM PR manager told Field Level Media.
Dallas remains +2500 to win the NFC Championship and +700 to win the NFC East at BetRivers, where the Cowboys are behind the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (-157) and the Washington Commanders (+220) and ahead of only the New York Giants (+2500).
While Prescott’s odds to win the passing yardage title shortened, he remains tied with the ninth-shortest odds. The current favorite is Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow at +600, followed by Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes (+700) and Buffalo’s Josh Allen (+1000).
A NEW STAR IN DALLAS?
The Cowboys had been rumored to be interested in Pickens, and ultimately gave up a third-round pick for the former second-round selection. The 24-year-old had become disgruntled in Pittsburgh, where DK Metcalf was acquired this offseason to be the team’s No. 1 receiver.
Dallas also has a clear No. 1 in Lamb, but the depth chart had been precariously thin beyond that. Lamb had 66 more targets last season than the next closest member of the team (tight end Jake Ferguson). He led the club in catches (101) and receiving yards (1,194) to go along with six touchdowns.
Jalen Tolbert, explosive return man KaVontae Turpin and 2024 midseason acquisition Jonathan Mingo are among those who are expected to now compete for snaps as the third receiver.
Pickens provides Prescott with a proven downfield playmaker as he comes off a season in which he caught 59 passes for 900 yards with three touchdowns in 14 games. He has one season remaining on his rookie contract and is slated to become a free agent next March.
Pickens recently appeared to be distancing himself from the Steelers, notably unfollowing the team on social media.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin told reporters in January of Pickens that “there’s certainly, obviously more room for growth there.”
Pickens has 174 receptions for 2,841 yards with 12 scores in 48 career games since being selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
–Field Level Media
