Cowboys: Louis Riddick flags major locker room risk for Cowboys after George Pickens trade

The Cowboys may have landed George Pickens, but not everyone's sold on the blockbuster deal. ESPN analyst Louis Riddick threw cold water on the hype, flagging a potential locker room nightmare waiting in Dallas.

Pickens is a rising star and has 2,238 yards and 11 touchdowns in three seasons to his name. He was traded from the Steelers for a 2026 third-round pick. However, Riddick isn’t convinced this is a slam dunk.

“Clearly in Pittsburgh, they thought this player was a distraction,” he said today on ESPN's 'Get Up.' "Look, Brian Schottenheimer has been preaching culture, culture, culture. Everyone around Dallas, everyone outside of Dallas, everyone who talks about Dallas, preaches about culture."

Riddick raised concerns about Dallas’s ability to manage Pickens’ presence.

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“If Mike Tomlin and Art Rooney—two of the most respected names in football—decided his talent wasn’t worth the headache, what makes you think Dallas can handle it?” [05:00]

Cowboys head coach and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has emphasized building a winning culture that could clash with Pickens’ reputation if things go sideways. Nonetheless, the Cowboys are all-in on chasing a Super Bowl.

Also read: 2× Super Bowl champion claims George Pickens cannot elevate Dak Prescott's mediocrity until QB lives up to his $240,000,000 contract

Why did Jerry Jones and Cowboys trade George Pickens?

Jerry Jones wasn’t bluffing when he teased “substantive trades” before or after the 2025 NFL draft. They pivoted fast after missing out on wideout Tetairoa McMillan at No. 12. Three weeks later, Jones landed a new WR2 in Pickens.

The move will fill the void opposite CeeDee Lamb, who had been carrying the Dallas passing game solo.

Dak Prescott also returns healthy this year after missing nine games with a hamstring avulsion in 2024. The Cowboys are betting big on this new combo.

Pickens, 24, is entering the final year of his rookie deal and won’t get an extension. He registered 59 receptions for 900 yards last season.

Steelers, who added DK Metcalf in March, clearly saw Pickens as expendable. However, Dallas sees a bargain and a potential game-changer.

Of course, Pickens’ on-field attitude will be under the microscope in Dallas.

Also read: Aaron Rodgers' "dirty work guy" could be traded to Steelers for potential reunion with 4x MVP after stunning George Pickens move: Report

About the author

Prasen is an NFL/College Sports analyst at Sportskeeda. A B.Tech/Civil Engineering graduate, he has two years of experience writing content.

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A fan of the Colorado Buffaloes since Deion Sanders took over as coach, Prasen expects Coach Prime to make the Buffs a national championship contender. Nick Saban is his favorite all-time coach, while Baker Mayfield and Caitlin Clark are his favorite players. Prasen considers Vince Young coming up clutch for the Texas Longhorns in the dying seconds of the 2017 national championship game against the USC Trojans as the most iconic moment of all time.

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Edited by Akshay Saraswat