Dallas Cowboys receiver George Pickens has 225 yards and no touchdowns through four games, while CeeDee Lamb leads the NFL in catches and receiving yards. The team’s coach and quarterback say Pickens remains valuable even without a large number of targets.
Dallas is averaging 30.5 points per game and leads the league with 3.39 points per drive. Quarterback Dak Prescott ranks among the NFL’s best in efficiency and completion rate. Lamb has 37 catches for 498 yards and 28 receiving first downs, leading the league in each category. His yardage total is a Cowboys record through the first four games of a season.
Pickens has 18 receptions for 225 yards and no touchdowns. He is averaging 12.5 yards per catch, a career low. According to TruMedia, he has run 45 go routes, second in the league behind DK Metcalf.
Coach Brian Schottenheimer said Pickens is still learning the system and could have had a much bigger game against Houston. Pickens finished that 34-30 win with two catches for 75 yards, including a 53-yard gain that moved Dallas close to the end zone. Prescott said defenses often use two players to cover Pickens. He stressed that the deep routes are real passing options, not simply decoys.
Pickens, who had previously been viewed as temperamental, was unbothered by receiving three targets against Houston while Lamb had 21. Prescott called him a strong teammate who celebrates others’ success when Dallas wins. The Cowboys host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night.