George Pickens’ star on rise in Dallas, earns high praise from Jerry Jones
No one supported George Pickens more than Kirby Smart in times of controversy when the then-young star was growing into a young man at the University of Georgia.
Fast forward four years into Pickens’ professional career, and Jerry Jones, perhaps the most influential of NFL owners, is standing behind the mercurial receiver.
“He’s an exemplary teammate,” Jones said in a 105.3 The Fan interview on Tuesday, echoing Smart’s endorsement of Pickens throughout his career with the Bulldogs. “He is exemplary in his work preparation, and you can see the results of that out there Sundays.”
Indeed, Pickens stepped up for Dallas with Cowboys’ star receiver CeeDee Lamb sidelined by injury and delivered an eight-catch, 134-yard, two-touchdown performance against a Green Bay defense featuring former Georgia stars in a 40-40 tie.
The Packers, with former UGA linebacker Quay Walker and former Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff Defensive MVP Javon Bullard, among others, simply could not contain Pickens.
Some questioned Dallas’ trade for Pickens after his roller coaster stint in Pittsburgh under highly regarded head coach Mike Tomlin, never mind the Steelers had a revolving door of quarterbacks delivering mediocre play during Pickens’ tenure there.
Those who saw Pickens perform in Athens, however, expressed confidence in his ability and projected
Pickens has silenced critics and helped lift the Dallas offense, ranking third in the NFL with four receiving touchdowns and 10th with 300 receiving yards through the first four games.
Pickens is currently in the final year of his rookie contract, earning a base salary of $3.65 million, but Jones hinted greater fortunes could be ahead for the former Georgia star if he continues to perform at a high level.
“I’m proud to tell you that we’ve got some outstanding structure in our cap space that will allow us to do a lot of things that I didn’t think, when we finished this time last year, that we might have the room to do some of these things we’re talking about doing,” Jones said in the radio interview on Tuesday.
“We got it. We paid a price for it; we had to not sign some players our fans might have thought ought to be signed. We can do it now.”
Former Dallas star Micah Parsons was a notable player the Cowboys did not sign, as he was instead traded to Green Bay, where he signed a new 4-year contract for $188 million, including $136 million in guaranteed pay.
Parsons had three tackles and a quarterback sack for the Packers in the 40-40 tie, while former UGA star Walker had 11 tackles to lead the team, former Bulldogs defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse and Bullard had three stops each, and Devonte Wyatt had a tackle.
While Pickens’ star is on the rise in Dallas, former Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford continues to shine for the Los Angeles Rams.
Stafford, who soldiered through an offseason of back rehabilitation, continued to shine in his 17th season with a 29-of-41 passing performance that netted 375 yards and three touchdowns.
Stafford, amazingly, ranks second in the NFL in passing yards (1,114) and is tied for third in the league with eight passing touchdowns, leading a Rams team that improved to 3-1 with a 27-20 win over Indianapolis.
James Cook is another former Georgia player who continues to earn his paycheck, securing a new Buffalo franchise record with a rushing touchdown in eight consecutive games after he scored his fifth touchdown of his season in the Bills’ 31-19 victory over New Orleans.
Cook, who signed a $48 million deal this fall, had 22 carries for 117 yards and the touchdown, along with three catches for 18 yards for 4-0 Buffalo.
Cook ranks second in the NFL with 401 yards rushing, fifth in yards from scrimmage (490), and leads the league with five rushing touchdowns.
Former Georgia tight end Darnell Washington made the most of his nearly 50 offensive snaps in Pittsburgh’s 24-21 win over Minnesota, catching all three passes thrown his way for 20 yards.
Rookie Trevor Etienne saw his most extensive action as a ball carrier in Carolina with seven rush attempts for 33 yards in a 42-13 loss to New England.
Nick Chubb continued his comeback season in Houston’s 26-0 win over Tennessee, carrying 13 times for 47 yards and catching two passes for 15 yards.
Texas second-year cornerback Kamari Lassiter contributed to the defense’s shutout with five tackles and two passes defended.
The day wasn’t as good for Jacksonville’s No. 1 overall pick, Travon Walker, and former first-round pick Roquan Smith.
Walker exited the Jaguars’ 26-21 win over San Francisco making two tackles on the 12 snaps he played with a wrist injury, and Smith suffered a hamstring injury that ended his day early after two tackles in Baltimore’s 37-20 loss to Kansas City.
Tyson Campbell had nine tackles from his cornerback position for Jacksonville in its win.
Malaki Starks had two tackles, and John Jenkins had two stops at defensive tackle for the Ravens in their loss.
D’Andre Swift continued to build on his productive season in Chicago, carrying 14 times for 38 yards and a touchdown and catching four of six passes thrown his way for 22 yards in the Bears’ 25-24 win over Las Vegas.
Brock Bowers caught five of his six targets for 46 yards for the Raiders, while Eric Stokes started at cornerback for the silver and black and made a tackle and defended a pass.
About the Author
Mike is in his eighth season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 30 years of collegiate sports multimedia experience, 25 of them in the SEC including beat writer stops at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and now Georgia. Mike was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
