The Dallas Cowboys will be hard-pressed to not reap the benefits of trading for George Pickens. Unless Pickens isn’t able to stay healthy or becomes a canker sore in the locker room, he should have a transformative impact on the gridiron.
Regardless of how Pickens performs with the Cowboys, the trade leaves the Steelers in utter shambles at wide receiver.
So much so that they are purportedly in talks with other teams about adding another playmaker alongside D.K. Metcalf. Dolphins standout tight end Jonnu Smith is seemingly high on their list following a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
This all follows Pittsburgh’s signing of WR Montana Lemonious-Craig. You are not alone if you find yourself questioning who that is.
Steelers are literally begging the Cowboys to win the George Pickens trade
A two-year starter at Arizona after three years at Colorado, Lemonious-Craig went undrafted this year and tried out for the Steelers during their rookie minicamp. He was teammates with Cowboys first-round draft target Tetairoa McMillan on the Wildcats.
Lemonious-Craig averaged less than 20.0 receiving yards per game at Arizona. In total, he caught 45 passes for 468 yards and four touchdowns. He tallied a 5.57 Relative Athletic Score, which ranked 1,692 out of 3,815 receivers that have tested since 1962.
The former Wildcat could end up shocking the world and carving out a role for himself with Pittsburgh, but this is definitely not the response to offloading Pickens that Steelers fans were hoping for. To make matters worse, Lemonious-Craig will wear No. 14, formerly worn by Pickens.
Granted, the Steelers may have another big move in the works. But does Jonnu Smith really move the needle? The Falcons are reportedly taking calls on TE Kyle Pitts. While an athletic specimen, Pitts has been highly disappointing since he was drafted No. 4 overall in 2021.
All things considered, signing Lemoious-Craig is a patently laughable response to trading one of the game’s most physically talented receivers in Pickens.
While Brian Schottenheimer will have to harness Pickens’ maturity concerns, the Steelers have set a remarkably low bar for the 24-year-old to clear in Dallas with how they have worked to replace his production.
