Did Cowboys get fleeced by Panthers in wide receiver trade?
Jerry Jones followed through with his declaration that the Dallas Cowboys wouldn’t stand pat at the 2024 NFL trade deadline.
On Tuesday, the Cowboys agreed to acquire wide receiver Jonathan Mingo from the Carolina Panthers, sending off a fourth-round draft pick in the deal while also receiving a seventh-round pick back, a person with knowledge of the deal told USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade was not yet official.
Mingo, 23, was a second-round pick out of Mississippi in 2023. The 6-2, 220-pound target has struggled to live up to his draft billing, however, catching just 43 of his 85 targets last season and recording just 12 receptions for 121 yards in nine games this year.
Here’s how each team fared in the deal.
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Jonathan Mingo trade grades
Cowboys: D-
Desperation isn’t a good look for Jones. While the Cowboys are right to want to repair a stale offense that ranks 22nd in yards per play (5.2), it seems unlikely that a receiver who has essentially been leapfrogged by undrafted rookie free agent Jacob Coker is going to make much of a difference in a 3-5 campaign, especially with Dak Prescott likely to miss at least the next four games with his hamstring injury. And the return of a fourth-round draft pick is downright baffling, with little indication that such high bid was required. Though Mingo might have some untapped potential that can be unlocked in a new setting, Jones’ explanation prior to the deal that the Cowboys were bringing on a receiver they liked during the draft process would seem to suggest the team is doubling down on an evaluation miss and focusing on pre-draft perception rather than professional performance.
Panthers: A
After Carolina puzzled many by getting a modest pick swap for Diontae Johnson, general manager Dan Morgan somehow secured even better draft capital for the underperforming Mingo. The second-year receiver is essentially a non-factor in the offense at the moment, not posting a catch in the last three games. As far as cutting bait on a likely misstep from the previous regime goes, this is about as good as it gets. Dealing Adam Thielen is probably a non-starter at this point given the other moves, but Carolina can scrape by for the rest of the season with the 34-year-old and Coker.
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