Make no mistake about it, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones knows how potent the offense is and can be moving forward.
The Dallas Cowboys' offense in 2025 was one of the better units in football, and there were several reasons for that.
One was Dak Prescott's elite form, another was the addition of Javonte Williams as the lead back, but perhaps the biggest reason was George Pickens.
Traded for in the offseason, Dallas paired Pickens, who was seen as a No. 1 receiver in Pittsburgh, with CeeDee Lamb.
That now gave Prescott two genuine game-wreckers in the passing game, plus a run game that would be a top-10 rushing attack thanks to Javonte's 1,201 yards and 11 TDs.
Yes, the defense was horrible, but offensively? You couldn't ask for much more.
In fact, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones made quite the comment when assessing what the offense was able to do in Brian Schottenheimer's first year.
"Really was an eye-opener, not only for us, but for everybody, including Dak, what having two elite receivers on the same offense can really do," Jones said on Sirius XM NFL Radio.
"When we were interviewing these defensive coordinator guys, interviewing the defensive backs (coaches), they were coming from teams we had played during the year, and they go you don't know how big a problem that is defensively for us when we had to line up and come up with a plan to not only stop CeeDee and George, but also that running game."
And speaking of "opening,'' Monday marks the start of NFL "legal tampering'' in free agency, with deals able to be closed starting Wednesday.
But amid all the gossip? Pickens isn't seen as being on the move via a trade.
With Pickens terrorizing defenses en route to a career-best season that saw him post 1,429 yards and 9 TDs, it allowed CeeDee to get favorable matchups in the secondary.
Despite his injury-plagued season, Lamb still surpassed 1,000 receiving yards.
Then there was Williams.
With Dallas now getting good, consistent play from the rushing attack, defenses couldn't send more into coverage to help cope with Lamb and Pickens; they had to commit to stopping Javonte.
And that allowed Pickens and Lamb to get good matchups, and Dak is good enough to exploit them.
With Williams already signed and Pickens tagged, the Cowboys in 2026 appear to be set to replicate what they produced last season.
And that should excite Cowboys Nation -- provided the defense gets the help it needs.