Brian Schottenheimer addresses George Pickens' OTAs absence, when Cowboys WR will arrive at camp

Wide receiver George Pickens was placed on the franchise tag earlier this offseason by the Dallas Cowboys, resolving his contractual future for the short term. Long term, though, there are questions about his ties to the franchise.

For now, fans are just watching to see how invested Pickens will be. It’s a big year for him.

At the moment, George Pickens is not present at Cowboys OTAs. According to a report from Jane Slater, coach Brian Schottenheimer referred to the OTAs as “voluntary.”

He’s also spoken with Pickens. “He’s in a good spot and handling his business,” Schottenheimer said.

That said, according to Slater, Schottenheimer has not been told whether George Pickens will be at the team’s minicamp later this month. Other reporters indicated that Schottenheimer “expects” Pickens to be there.

And Slater also noted that, through a source close to Pickens, she learned that Pickens will be in attendance at minicamp. So while it’s a little bit of wait-and-see mode for the Cowboys, nothing sounds all that worrisome on that front.

George Pickens certainly made the most of his first season in Dallas in 2025. Playing alongside CeeDee Lamb, he racked up 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. All three figures were career highs.

Earlier this offseason, one NFL insider underscored how big a year this is for Pickens. The NFL Network’s Kevin Patra opened up.

“The tag shifts the risk to Pickens,” Patra wrote. “An injury could wipe out his chance at potential long-term money. The positive is a solid one-year pay increase after making $6.752 million over the first four years of his career. If Pickens puts together another massive season in which he shows growth on and off the field, he could become the next $40 million receiver.”

Other Injury News for Dallas

There were a couple of non-George Pickens related news items for Dallas on Thursday afternoon as the team hosted OTAs. Two players were touched on by Schottenheimer on the injury report.

Outside linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku (hip) is expected to be ready for training camp, Schottenheimer said. Meanwhile, cornerback DaRon Bland (foot) is also expected to be ready for training camp.

Good news on both fronts for Cowboys fans. Dallas is looking to improve on a 7-9-1 campaign from a year ago.