Will George Pickens Change History of Ex-Steelers WRs Failing on New Teams After Exit?

Even though the addition of George Pickens fills a huge void at wideout for the Dallas Cowboys, they are betting against the history of former Pittsburgh Steelers receivers playing well after joining a new team.

Per ESPN's Paul Hembekides (h/t ESPN's Adam Schefter), the last six high-profile Steelers wide receivers who changed teams saw their yards-per-game averages decline by at least 20 percent after leaving Pittsburgh.

It's unfair to say the Steelers have a magic formula for these players that doesn't translate to other teams. Many of these declines can be explained using basic logic.

For example, if the peak of Ben Roethlisberger's career was from 2008 to 2018, that overlaps with multiple years for Antonio Brown, Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Martavis Bryant.

Now, look at the quarterbacks with whom some of those receivers played after leaving the Steelers. Holmes primarily played with Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith and Jay Cutler. Wallace had Ryan Tannehill, Teddy Bridgewater, Joe Flacco and Carson Wentz.

Brown and Bryant also had significant off-field issues that impacted their careers. Brown was released by the New England Patriots after playing one game amid allegations of sexual assault. He spent two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was an effective third option, averaging 77.9 yards per game in 2021, but he got released toward the end of that season after walking off the field in a Week 17 win over the New York Jets.

Bryant was suspended for the entire 2016 season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. He spent one year with the Oakland Raiders in 2018 before receiving an indefinite suspension from the league in December 2018 for violating terms of his conditional reinstatement.

Wallace and Smith-Schuster were declining in their final years with the Steelers before going to new teams. Wallace's yards per game dropped from 74.6 in 2011 to 55.7 in 2012, then he signed with the Miami Dolphins prior to the 2013 season.

Smith-Schuster went from averaging 78.1 yards per game in his first two seasons, which coincided with the end of Roethlisberger's peak in 2017 and 2018, to 45.8 yards per game over his final three years with the Steelers when their quarterback play declined.

Most of these other receivers were also older than Pickens, who turned 24 on March 4, when they switched teams. Chase Claypool is the only one who was also 24 at the time he was traded to the Chicago Bears.

That might bode well for Pickens' outlook upon leaving Pittsburgh. Dak Prescott will be the best quarterback he has ever played with in the NFL by far.

Pickens, who has averaged 59.2 yards per game in his first three seasons, has caught passes from Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields since 2022.

The one thing that might hinder Pickens from boosting his yardage totals is that this will be first time in his NFL career that he's not the best receiver on his own team.

CeeDee Lamb is a superstar and has been a pass-catching machine. The 26-year-old has never had a season with fewer than 111 targets. He has at least 107 catches in each of the past three years.

While Pickens may not evolve into being a superstar with the Cowboys because Lamb will be the No. 1 option as long as he is healthy, his efficiency per reception should get a boost now that he's catching passes from Prescott.