With the Dallas Cowboys recently confirming that they have no interest in trading standout wide receiver George Pickens, the franchise should feel excited about its receiving room for the 2026-27 campaign.
Pickens is coming off the best season of his young NFL career, totaling 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 17 contests. Additionally, CeeDee Lamb recorded his fifth straight 1,000-yard receiving season in 2025-26, and should be prepared to extend that streak to seven next season.
However, who’s to say Dallas won’t find an experienced and battle-tested wideout to pair with Pickens and Lamb in Dallas? CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani is a firm believer that signing former Houston Texans star WR DeAndre Hopkins would be a sneaky-good roster move for the Cowboys this offseason.
“The Dallas Cowboys spent five of their seven draft picks on the defensive side of the ball, which was understandable considering they ranked third-worst in total defense and dead last in scoring defense in 2025,” Dajani wrote Tuesday.
“Dallas has CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens out wide for Dak Prescott, but now that Pickens has signed his franchise tag, could he end up being traded? Is he really going to accept playing on this one-year deal?”
Adding Hopkins to the equation wouldn’t resonate well with all of the Cowboys’ franchise’s fan base. The Clemson product is far past his prime and is no longer a star-studded, difference-making receiver who instills fear into opposing defenses.
Hopkins logged 330 receiving yards and two touchdowns with the Baltimore Ravens last season, a far cry from the 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns he recorded in his best season with the Texans.
That said, it’s realistic to envision the strong-handed five-time All-Pro being a serviceable contributor with the Cowboys for a year or two, which wouldn’t be the worst-case scenario for the franchise.
Ultimately, the Cowboys must decide whether the risk of signing Hopkins to a short-term deal is worth the potential reward.
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