Much of the focus has been on if/when Pickens will show up for work, but perhaps the thing being forgotten is how much work he'll actually do if he shows up.
George Pickens remains the center of attention for the Dallas Cowboys as mandatory minicamp approaches.
Seen as the first true test of Pickens' feelings toward being franchise tagged, what he does or doesn't do could set the scene for an offseason that isn't as smooth as fans or the front office would like.
In truth, holding out doesn't make sense for Pickens, as he will be subject to fines, so it is a different thing altogether than him missing OTAs.
But because he has not been seen inside the building, even head coach Brian Schottenheimer said the Cowboys know George is working, but don't actually know what he's doing.
That isn't ideal.
But now comes a Monday morning update, with DLLS reporting that Pickens "plans to be at minicamp, per source.''
That would be ideal.
If this is settled?
Good. And still, there might be one thing that some are overlooking when it comes to Pickens showing up at mandatory minicamp, and that's how much work he'll do.
Our Mike Fisher notes that both coach Brian Schottenheimer and QB Dak Prescott have suggested that there will be a long and slow ramp-up to Pickens' doing all of his normal word.
Said Fish: "They have moved from 'expecting him to be here for mandatory minicamp' to being 'hopeful' that he is here. But whenever he shows up there is a plan - a smart one - to not overload him.
"There is no need to ask him to do too much too early, especially because they don't know exactly how much work he's done on his own.
So, Pickens will be eased back into football if he does show up, with Fish adding that he'll likely do individual work rather than anything with the team.
Is that a problem? Hardly.
The problem is if Pickens "holds in" like Micah Parsons did last offseason - let's hope that isn't part of this - and doesn't do any work at all. That will set him back, and for a Cowboys offense that needs both Pickens and CeeDee Lamb firing, having George be a slow burn to begin the year isn't good.
Of course, as long as Pickens is on the field during training camp and practicing regularly, we doubt there will be any concerns about his ability to start the year off hot.
But for now? Everybody wanted Pickens to show up at mandatory minicamp, and now it seems he wants the same.
