Earlier this month, the Dallas Cowboys made a move to upgrade their pass-catching corps, acquiring wide receiver George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers. And the trade caught the attention of a member of the Cowboys’ bitter NFC East rival, the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I like that [the Pickens] trade. I ain’t gonna lie. We’re going to have to worry about them [the Cowboys], for sure,” Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown said at a public fan discussion. “We’re going to have to worry about them. No, I like the trade. I do like the trade. I like the competition. I like George Pickens. I like CeeDee Lamb. And that collab, it’s going to be exciting to watch because all that does is bring the best out of us.
“So, if we know how they coming, we are going to have to step it up.”
Pickens is coming off a shaky 2024 campaign, which saw him total 59 receptions for 900 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games; he missed three games due to a hamstring injury. Over his last four regular-season games, Pickens recorded a combined 11 receptions, which included having one reception for zero yards on six targets in a Week 18 matchup at home against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Pickens finished the season ranked 27th among wide receivers with a 76.9 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus. Before that, Pickens led the NFL with 18.1 yards per reception in 2023 and led the Steelers in both receiving yards (2023 and 2024) and receiving touchdowns (2022 and 2023) in two of his three seasons with the franchise.
Now, Pickens joins a Cowboys wide receiver room that includes Lamb, a four-time Pro Bowler, as well as Jalen Tolbert — who put up 49 receptions for 610 yards and seven touchdowns last season, which were all career highs — and receiver/returner KaVontae Turpin, a two-time Pro Bowler.
Eagles vs. Cowboys will be the NFL season opener
As for Brown, the three-time Pro Bowler totaled 67 receptions for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 regular-season games and had a 12-yard touchdown in Philadelphia’s Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. Brown ranked third among wide receivers with a 90.9 overall grade, per PFF.
“Regardless of the scoreboard or what the score says, those are one of the hardest games,” Brown said about the Eagles playing the Cowboys. “Every single time. Cowboys, Washington [Commanders], those are dog fights. It may look easy, but it ain’t easy.”
Philadelphia swept its 2024 season series with Dallas — which was without quarterback Dak Prescott for both games —outscoring its divisional foe 75-13. The Eagles will host the Cowboys in the 2025 NFL regular-season opener on Sept. 4. They’ll meet again in Week 12 in Dallas, which will air on FOX. The two rivals have split their last 10 matchups.
Brown is entering his fourth season with the Eagles, with whom he has averaged 87 receptions for 1,344 yards and eight touchdowns per season.
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Dallas Cowboys
A.J. Brown
George Pickens
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