![\"Dallas](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/01kv6c30bncdjf40dvwk.jpg\" "\\"Dallas")
<\/p>\nMonday proved to be a good day for the Dallas Cowboys, with George Pickens arriving for his first offseason physical. There were concerns that Pickens, who was not present during the team’s voluntary workouts, could hold out and skip minicamp.<\/p>\n
Those concerns were magnified when Pickens refused to commit when asked recently about his plans to attend. The good news, however, is that he seems ready to play on the one-year franchise tag and prove he deserves a new contract in 2027.<\/p>\n
With that question out of the way, the Cowboys can now focus on football, which is a welcome change from years past. Here, we look at three minicamp storylines that matter after Pickens’ arrival.<\/p>\n
What will happen at left tackle?<\/p>\n
Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Guyton prepares to enter the field prior to the game against the Carolina Panthers. | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Tyler Guyton needs to earn his job this offseason<\/a>, stating that he will compete with Nate Thomas<\/a> for the starting left tackle position. The Dallas offense was incredible this past season, but their issues in pass protection were still concerning.<\/p>\n Getting Guyton to step up his game will be critical, which is why this open competition makes sense. If, however, Guyton doesn’t run away with the job, the Cowboys might need to consider outside help<\/a>.<\/p>\n Can Christian Parker and Caleb Downs fix this defense? Dallas Cowboys DB Caleb Downs is coached through a drill with defensive coordinator Christian Parker at the Ford Center. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images<\/p>\n We’ve spent all offseason discussing how bad the defense was in 2025. We’ve also been focused on how promising things look with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.<\/p>\n Now that the team is entering minicamp, we need to see how this unit is coming together. One of the main areas to watch is the secondary, which will lean heavily on rookie Caleb Downs. If he and Parker live up to their hype, this defense could be vastly improved in 2026. Parker recently said the players were hungry for success<\/a>, and we now have to see if they can back that up.<\/p>\n How much work will George Pickens get? Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens warms up before a game against the Minnesota Vikings. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images<\/p>\n While Pickens has arrived, there will still be one looming question: how much work will he really do? Cowboys On SI’s Josh Sanchez said we shouldn’t expect Pickens to “hit the ground running”<\/a> after he skipped OTAs, which is a realistic approach. <\/p>\n The rest of the receiving corps has been getting work in, so they’re likely going to be involved in more team portions early on while Pickens does some individual drills. That shouldn’t be any concern, and the only reason for any alarm would be if Pickens has a mysterious injury, which is something we saw from Micah Parsons in 2025. Thankfully, there’s no indication that will happen, but we should still keep an eye on his status.<\/p>\n \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0for more free coverage from<\/strong>\u00a0Dallas Cowboys on SI<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Dallas](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/01kv6c4hq31d422e25gk.jpg\" "\\"Dallas")
<\/p>\n![\"Dallas](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/01kv6c5yh2cw8sebtqkz.jpg\" "\\"Dallas")
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