George Pickens was not in the building when the Dallas Cowboys opened OTAs on Monday, putting his start to the offseason program under fresh attention even though he does not have to report yet. The wide receiver, who is on the franchise tag, has not yet taken part in any portion of the voluntary work.
That is why the search for his attendance has started now. Dallas opened a schedule that should include five more OTA sessions after Monday, with two of those sessions expected to be open to the media, giving reporters a clearer look at who is in the building and who is not. Pickens is not required to be there for this part of the program, and he does not have to show up until June 16, when mandatory minicamp begins.
Clarence Hill Jr. said he had not seen Pickens on Monday morning, and added, “No surprise. It’s voluntary.” That fits the structure of the calendar, but it does not remove the noise around the receiver. Pickens is drawing scrutiny because he remains on the franchise tag and did not land a long-term deal earlier this offseason, so every appearance or absence is being tracked closely as the Cowboys begin work.
For now, the facts point to a simple answer: Pickens missed the opening day of OTAs, but the deadline that matters is still ahead. If he is going to join the voluntary workouts before minicamp, it will be in one of the remaining sessions. If not, the first real checkpoint comes on June 16, when attendance is no longer optional.
