{"id":46762,"date":"2025-05-08T03:41:16","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T03:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=46762"},"modified":"2025-05-08T03:41:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T03:41:16","slug":"ryan-clark-has-his-doubts-about-george-pickens-unprecedented-move-to-cowboys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=46762","title":{"rendered":"Ryan Clark has his doubts about George Pickens\u2019 unprecedented move to Cowboys.."},"content":{"rendered":"

Pittsburgh Steelers Ryan Clark addressed a different angle on the whole George Pickens to Dallas Cowboys trade deal.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Ryan<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

George Pickens, Ryan Clark (Images via BR\/ESPN)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In an unsurprising move,\u00a0Jerry Jones\u00a0<\/strong>pulled one more wild move earlier today. The octogenarian owner and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys brought wideout\u00a0George Pickens<\/strong>\u00a0and a 2027 sixth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers.<\/p>\n

The Dallas Cowboys have raised concerns about\u00a0needing a second wide receiver\u00a0throughout the offseason. Jerry Jones had also mentioned that they would be signing one ahead of the offseason. When that didn\u2019t work out, the Cowboys were expecting to draft\u00a0Tetairoa McMillan<\/strong>, who went early as an eighth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers. Furthermore, they didn\u2019t draft one in the later rounds themselves.<\/p>\n

Pickens, who joined the Steelers in 2022, has one more year in his rookie contract. He will finish the final year with the Dallas Cowboys, where he will become the second wideout opposite\u00a0CeeDee Lamb<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The key reactions after the trade are primarily about the Dallas Cowboys\u2019 inadequate decisions and their management troubles. Pickens was one of the most\u00a0trouble-mongering players\u00a0on the roster, both\u00a0on the field\u00a0and\u00a0off the field.<\/p>\n

However, a former Steelers legend,\u00a0Ryan Clark,<\/strong>\u00a0introduced a new perspective to the whole Pickens trade in a recent\u00a0Get Up<\/em>\u00a0podcast. As a Steelers alumnus, Clark highlighted that the trade is more about what the Pittsburgh team has in store for the next season rather than the Cowboys\u2019 angle.<\/p>\n

Clark admitted that the Pittsburgh Steelers\u2019 doing away with Pickens means that the Black and Gold are planning to tank the 2026 season. The tank, as per Clark, is to ensure a higher draft ranking in the upcoming year.<\/p>\n

\n

It sounds like they\u2019re tanking, and I know they are, because they\u2019ve made other moves. But when you look at this roster, this roster can\u2019t compete to have a winning season. This roster can\u2019t compete to be a playoff team. This roster can\u2019t compete to be an AFC champion. And in no time that I\u2019ve been associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers have I felt that way.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ryan Clark said<\/em><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

Ryan Clark\u2019s argument carries considerable ethos. The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently facing a significant issue at the quarterback position\u2014an issue that 2025 draftee\u00a0Will Howard\u00a0<\/strong>may not be the answer to.<\/p>\n

Unlike the certainty they once had with\u00a0Ben Roethlisberger<\/strong>, the franchise has lacked a definitive solution since his departure. Securing a higher draft position in the upcoming class would provide the Steelers with an opportunity to select a top-tier quarterback prospect.<\/p>\n

Ryan Clark questions Steelers\u2019 direction amid declining postseason hopes and roster uncertainty<\/h2>\n

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most consistent teams in the league, with 35 playoff appearances, third most behind the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys. The Steelers have never had a losing season since 2003, when they went 6-10 under\u00a0Bill Cowher<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Mike
Mike Tomlin (Image via IMAGO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although they have almost two decades of .500 or above seasons, they have only won the Super Bowl twice since 2003. The last one came in 2008 when Roethlisberger and company defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23.<\/p>\n

The constant yet-so-close but never-winning has annoyed fans for far too long. Despite the same, they had the streak to cling on, which Ryan Clark thinks is in trouble. Clark noted that the Steelers are no longer a team to place bets on.<\/p>\n

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And it\u2019s not only about what the roster looks like, it\u2019s the way that they\u2019re moving and maneuvering around building this roster. I don\u2019t really understand what\u2019s going on, but I do have a ton of faith in Omar Khan, the general manager. I have a ton of faith in Mike Tomlin. But at this point, this isn\u2019t a team I\u2019d put any money on.<\/em><\/p>\n

Ryan Clark said<\/em><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

Clark is not the only one who feels the same. Former Steelers offensive lineman\u00a0Trai Essex<\/strong>\u00a0also admitted that the trade feels wrong, given the fact that they didn\u2019t draft any wideout either.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pittsburgh Steelers Ryan Clark addressed a different angle on the whole George Pickens to Dallas Cowboys trade deal. 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