After the 2026 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys have made several free agency moves to bolster their wide receiver (WR) room. The several additions are made amidst the uncertainty of George Pickens' future with the Cowboys.

The Cowboys signed former Pittsburgh Steelers' WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling to a one-year contract. This would be the third addition to the WR room along wth Anthony Smith (No. 218 pick overall) and another free agent Tyler Johnson.

NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported the news of the signing on April 27.

Marques Valdes-Scantling, better known as MVS, has played for eight NFL seasons, primarily playing for the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs.

He won two consecutive Super Bowl Championships with the Chiefs in 2022 and 2023 respectively. MVS started 69 games, recording 219 receptions for 3,686 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns.

His best campaign was in 2020, where he recorded 33 receptions for 690 rushing yards and six touchdowns, with a league-leading 20.9 yards per reception. 

According to Sports Illustrated's Tony Adame, Valdes- Scantling is expected to compete with Anthony Smith for the WR5 position, the spot right after KaVontae Turpin and Ryan Flournoy, bringing in more depth and veteran talent to the WR room.  

While the WR1 and WR2 spots should be fixed with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens for the next season, such positions can be confirmed only if Pickens signs the franchise tag deal before the July 15 deadline.

George Pickens Deal Stalls Despite Earlier Reports

George Pickens was reportedly expected to sign his franchise tag ahead of the July 15 deadline, just before the 2026 NFL Draft. However, he did not sign and missed the first day of voluntary workouts on April 27.

“Look, he wants a long-term contract, or he would like a trade,” Adam Schefter said during Monday’s episode of Pat McAfee Show.

But as far as the Cowboys' executives are concerned, they have expressed their 'zero intentions of trading George Pickens'.

Pickens' best campaign with the Cowboys has made him record 93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns in 17 games, earning his first Pro Bowl selection.

During the post-draft conference, Cowboys VP Stephen Jones stated they were confidently waiting for Pickens to sign and get back to work. However, he expressed their intentions of making him ‘play under the franchise tag’ this year.

The Cowboys’ offense ranked second in the NFL in total yards, averaging 391.9 yards per game and scoring 27.7 points per game (rank 7), according to Fox Sports.

If Pickens remains unsigned, it leaves a major gap in the production for the Cowboys, for a franchise that ranked No. 2 in overall offense rankings in the 2025 NFL season.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Rishab Nandi