George Pickens is at his first offseason practice Tuesday, but he won’t participate in team drills at the mandatory minicamp.
“He’ll be coach Pickens . . . in team,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said.
Pickens signed the franchise tag on April 29, but opted to skip the voluntary portion of the offseason program. He faced a $107,911 fine for missing all three days of the mandatory minicamp.
“I know how he feels about this football team, this locker room and what we’re building here,” Schottenheimer said, via Patrik Walker of the team website. “I’m not surprised to see him. The OTAs in the offseason program is voluntary, and this is the one part of it that’s mandatory, and he’s not the only player that hasn’t been at camps around the league.
“But I think he just shows his commitment to the guys in that locker room and helping us win a Super Bowl.”
The Cowboys, though, will not risk a soft tissue injury — or worse — with a player who has not been around for the offseason program. So, Pickens’ absence in team drills was expected.
“If we needed him to practice today, he could,” Schottenheimer said, via Abby Jones of DLLS Sports. “He’s going to do some things, but just as we close out minicamp, you know, and off-season program, there’s no need for him to have to do the team stuff. He’s going to get plenty of stuff with individual and the mock stuff.”
Pickens, 25, earned his first Pro Bowl in his first season in Dallas in 2025, making 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Cowboys are not negotiating a long-term deal with Pickens, so he will play on the one-year tag of $27.3 million.
