The addition of George Pickens significantly raises the profile of the Cowboys’ passing attack, giving quarterback Dak Prescott and star receiver CeeDee Lamb much-needed support. But where does Dallas’ new trio sit among the top passing trios in the NFL?
We first did this exercise midway through the 2024 season, and much has changed in just those few months, including with some of the top entries on that list. Weighing production and talent, we’re ranking the league’s top passing trios again, but this time tight ends are eligible.
Here’s our new list for the 2025 offseason, in ascending order.
Jackson was close to winning his third MVP last season, after throwing for more than 4,000 yards for the first time in his career (in addition to breaking Michael Vick’s record for most career rushing yards by a quarterback). Flowers, who had 1,000 receiving yards in his second NFL season, continues his ascent toward becoming a true No. 1 receiver. Andrews had his struggles in 2024, notably in the playoffs, but still had a career-high 11 touchdowns this past regular season. And he’s still on the team, after there were reports leading into the draft that he could be traded.
A prolonged contract stalemate and season-ending knee injury spoiled Aiyuk’s 2024 season (and effectually the Niners’). At 27, he’s young enough to return to form, which amounted to 1,342 yards in 2023. Kittle is coming off his third consecutive All-Pro campaign. Purdy’s production took a dip last year, but he was still fifth in passing yards per game.
Mayfield has been a borderline top-10 quarterback since joining the Bucs, and Evans has recorded 11 straight (!) 1,000-yard seasons to start his career. The 29-year-old Godwin was headed toward his fourth straight 1,000-yard campaign before dislocating his ankle in Week 7.
Yes, an aging Kelce is not what he was just a few years ago. But the connection he shares with Mahomes remains lethal. Rice, meanwhile, is one of the NFL’s top young receivers. The 2023 second-round pick led the league with 24 receptions through three weeks last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Mahomes’ production was down last year, but his track record suggests that was the product of his supporting cast more than him.
Last year was a down one for the Dolphins’ passing attack, largely because of Tagovailoa’s six-game absence. Hill finished with less than 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2019, while Waddle posted a career-low 744 receiving yards. Tagovailoa did boast the highest completion rate (72.9%) in the league when healthy. At full strength, this remains one of the NFL’s top passing trios. And the talk of Hill being traded has also quieted down.
Adams turns 33 in December, but he’s still playing at a high level, made evident by the fact that he registered his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season in 2024 despite splitting time between two struggling teams. He’ll take attention off Nacua, who had 990 receiving yards in just 11 games last season. At 37, Stafford remains one of the NFL’s most clutch passers.
What impact will George Pickens have on the Cowboys? | Speak
Lamb, one of the NFL’s best wide receivers, has a No. 1-caliber running mate for the first time since the beginning of his career, when Amari Cooper was still a Cowboy. Pickens has had at least 800 receiving yards in each of his three NFL seasons. Prescott played just eight games in 2024 due to injury, but paced the league in completions and passing touchdowns in 2023.
A 1,000-yard receiver for the first time last season, Williams has steadily ascended since entering the NFL. The 2022 first-round pick and St. Brown, an All-Pro each of the past two seasons, form one of the elite receiving duos of the present and future. Goff, who finished fifth in MVP voting, has (perhaps quietly) thrown for at least 4,400 yards in three straight seasons.
One of the league’s top dual-threat quarterbacks, Hurts cemented his status as one of the better playoff quarterbacks of his generation in the Eagles’ run to winning Super Bowl LIX, where he won MVP honors. Brown and Smith remain one of the NFL’s elite receiver tandems, though their combined numbers dipped a bit this past season (135 receptions for 1,912 yards and 15 touchdowns) with running back Saquon Barkley being the focal point of the offense.
Burrow finished fourth in MVP voting last year after leading the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns, winning Comeback Player of the Year in the process. Chase won the receiving triple crown. Higgins surpassed 900 receiving yards in 2024, despite playing just 13 games. No NFL team boasts the combined caliber of talent at quarterback and the top two receiver spots of the Bengals, who extended that window by re-signing Chase and Higgins this spring.
Honorable mentions: Houston Texans (C.J. Stroud-Nico Collins-Dalton Schultz), Washington Commanders (Jayden Daniels-Terry McLaurin-Deebo Samuel), Arizona Cardinals (Kyler Murray-Marvin Harrison Jr.-Trey McBride)
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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