The Dallas Cowboys are expecting wide receiver George Pickens to attend the mandatory minicamp, which is set to start on June 16, though he missed the voluntary OTAs. Now, an analyst has taken this into account, warning fans to keep their expectations in check.

During his appearance on the “The Cowboys Collective” podcast on June 13, The Athletic’s Jon Machota warned the fans that the Cowboys are expected to ease Pickens into minicamp workouts to reduce the risk of injury ahead of training camp. 

"But even like Dak was saying, when he is there, if he does show up, don’t expect him to just all of a sudden be with the 1s and doing everything," Machota said. "They don’t want him to do too much, and all of a sudden, he suffers a setback or some type of injury, and then he is going to training camp with some type of issue. Even if he is there next week, don’t expect him to be doing a ton.” 

Prescott revealed during the June 9 OTA session that his last throwing session with Pickens was in April, and he hasn't had any particular discussions regarding Pickens' minicamp attendance.

“He was consistent, consistent as he’s been, those times that I got to throw with him,” Prescott said, per Machota. “And honestly, just even communicating with him through phone, as we have in these last couple of weeks, George is great."

Pickens heads into the 2026 season after a breakout campaign in 2025, recording all career highs in receptions (93), receiving yards (1,429), and touchdowns (9), earning his first Pro Bowl nod. 

He signed the franchise tag ($27.3M) post-draft in April, making him play with the Cowboys under the tag for the 2026 season. 

Though the team has time until July 15 at 4:00 p.m. ET to negotiate a long-term contract extension, the Cowboys executives have been clear on neither trading Pickens nor signing him for a long-term deal.

In case Pickens skips the mandatory minicamp sessions, he is expected to face a total fine of $107, 911 combining all three days, as CBA-prescribed, according to Albert Breeer of Sports Illustrated. 

With Pickens expected to be eased back into training, the Cowboys could benefit from another promising depth addition made during the offseason, who is competing for the roster spot behind WRs Pickens and CeeDee Lamb.

Cowboys May Have Found Key Insurance Behind Lamb and Pickens

According to Cowboys Insider Nick Harris of Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Marquez Valdes-Scantling was a frequent target for Prescott during the OTAs, and he earned first-team reps during practices.

"He was targeted by Dak Prescott a handful of times, and even bailed out his new quarterback on a throw that went behind him that he had to swat down to prevent P.J. Locke from intercepting it," Harris wrote.

Valdes-Scantling, a two-time Super Bowl Champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, was a low-risk depth addition to the WR room for the Cowboys.

He is expected to compete for the depth spot behind Ryan Flournoy and KaVontae Turpin, with Jonathan Mingo, Traeshon Holden, and rookie Anthony Smith, for the WR5 roster spot.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote