The Dallas Cowboys completed a trade with the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday to acquire wide receiver Jonathan Mingo and a 2025 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round draft pick.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said prior to the deadline that the team was looking to add a wide receiver and is “not selling,” despite the slow start to the year, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
Dallas will now begin to integrate Mingo into the offensive system as the team looks to make a late push for the playoffs despite multiple major injuries suffered by key players on the team.
Here is how The Dallas Express would grade the trade from both the Cowboys’ and Panthers’ perspectives:
Cowboys Grade: C-
Mingo is still an incredibly young receiver with the athletic traits and potential to break out as a meaningful player in the future, but giving up a fourth-round pick was too much for a player of his caliber.
The second-year receiver was selected with the eighth pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft and is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 220 pounds, posting an impressive 4.46 40-yard dash time and a 39.5-inch vertical.
Mingo is also just 23 years old and will be on a cheap contract until the end of the 2026 season, meaning the Cowboys will have a chance to observe his growth and make decisions on his future in the coming seasons.
Although Mingo’s physical abilities and potential could justify the Cowboys’ sending a draft pick to the Panthers, he has also struggled to make an impact on the field despite a depleted receiving room in Carolina for the past two seasons.
Mingo has posted just 121 yards and 12 receptions without scoring a touchdown this season, following up a rookie season in which he collected 418 yards with 43 receptions.
ESPN Analytics evaluated a total of 77 wide receivers who received at least 20 targets in the 2023 season and 15 targets in the 2024 season, with Mingo ranking 75th in receiving yards and 76th in yards per route run.
These analytics also evaluated the amount of space created by these receivers, their catch ratings, and their yards after the catch to create an overall score for all 77 receivers, with Mingo ranking as the worst receiver in the league based on these metrics.
A summary of these analytics is simple: Mingo struggles with getting open, catching the ball, and creating yards after the catch.
In addition to Mingo being ineffective during his time on the field, the Cowboys actually have a strong rapport with their fourth-round draft selections, selecting four Pro Bowl players in the fourth round since 2016, according to 105.3 The FAN’s Bobby Belt.
However, the upcoming draft will now be the second straight year without a fourth-round selection for the Cowboys after the team sent away their 2024 selection last season in exchange for quarterback Trey Lance.
Dallas has also opted to release cornerback Andrew Booth, who the team traded for in the offseason but has collected just six total tackles in three appearances through the Cowboys’ first eight games.
The release of Booth marks another disappointing trade for the Cowboys after the organization sent former third-round pick Nashon Wright to the Minnesota Vikings, though neither player has impacted their new teams this season.
Panthers Grade: A
The grade for the Panthers is straightforward due to the lack of production the franchise has seen from Mingo through his first season and a half.
NFL franchises often choose to stick with a player for too long in an attempt to recoup their draft value, but the Panthers opted to trade Mingo after recognizing that there were players on the roster who were more likely to see the field.
Carolina has now added an additional pick from the Cowboys that will likely be near the top of the fourth round while also creating room to evaluate more promising wide receivers who are already on the roster.
The Panthers can now begin to evaluate wide receivers Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, and David Moore along with tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders for the remainder of the season.
Carolina is incredibly unlikely to make the playoffs this season after starting the year with a record of just 2-7, meaning the decision to move off of a struggling receiver to collect another draft selection is a smart move that could help them in the future.
