In the aftermath of the Dallas Cowboys’ trade for wide receiver George Pickens, there was a point at which a report emerged indicating multiple NFL teams “laughed at the idea of inviting Pickens into their locker room for any price.”

Pickens’ attitude — often criticized in his days as a Georgia Bulldog and Pittsburgh Steeler — was the major question surrounding the Cowboys’ biggest trade in years. It was never about the football but the player’s behavior. So while Pickens’ on-field success, including 300 receiving yards and four touchdowns in four games, isn’t exactly a surprise, his way of handling himself is.

Cowboys safety Juanyeh Thomas — who is in line to start Sunday against the New York Jets after Malik Hooker was ruled out Friday and later placed on Injured Reserve — recently shared his thoughts about Pickens on social media.

Thomas not only said that Pickens is a good teammate, which is becoming increasingly obvious, but he said he’s one of the best on the team.

“If we had a vote for the best teammate in the locker room, George would be easily in the top three,” Thomas posted before suggesting the Pickens narrative was media-driven.

The post was in response to a Steelers fan account reading “Turns out he’s a great guy!”

In reality, the Pickens narrative wasn’t only media-driven but also pushed by people in the Steelers organization. What’s become clear is that the Cowboys’ wide receiver has grown in the past year. Perhaps the trade was a wake-up call, or perhaps he’s just genuinely happier in Dallas, where he’s surrounded by a better offense.

Speaking of, Pickens’ relationship with the team has clearly been nurtured by Dak Prescott, Brian Schottenheimer, and even CeeDee Lamb, who even told the media in the offseason that receivers were co-ones.