The Dallas Cowboys’ trade for Jonathan Mingo was viewed to be a bit of an overpay by some NFL insiders.
The Dallas Cowboys traded with the Carolina Panthers for Jonathan Mingo on Tuesday. Yes, it happened. That the Cowboys made a move for someone shocked a lot of people as they are looking like one of the lower-quality teams in the NFL through the first week in November. Many thought, hoped more than anything, that Dallas would maybe sell off some assets in the name of competing more seriously next season; however, waving the white flag has never been the team’s style.
It does not seem like the Mingo trade is the Cowboys doing something that they believe will significantly help them this year as the lone positive that people are holding on to is that the Cowboys have him under team control through the 2026 season. Consider that a win if you’d like.
Apparently the Cowboys do and paid what they did specifically because of that, not that this is shocking.
NFL insiders referred to the Jonathan Mingo trade as a ‘shocker’
Tuesday marked the trade deadline for every team in the NFL so in the aftermath we are seeing grades and things of that nature being handed out.
ESPN discussed all of the action and noted insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano discussed how the Mingo trade was a “shocker” and that the Panthers were “eager” to deal him.
Fowler: Carolina getting a fourth-rounder from Dallas in exchange for Mingo was a shocker. Former Day 2 picks who are out of the lineup typically don’t garner that. The Panthers were eager to deal him. Yes, contractual control was a factor in his value. Mingo is in the second year of his rookie deal, meaning Dallas has him under contract for the next 2½ seasons for slightly more than $4 million in total. The Cowboys felt they had to pay a premium for that, and Mingo does have some upside. But Carolina didn’t have much leverage here. On a day that mostly followed a well-worn script, this move was off script.
Graziano: Yeah, Dallas wasn’t going to trade players and wasn’t going to make a move for a rental. The Cowboys liked Mingo when he came out in the 2023 draft, where he was the No. 39 pick, and they felt they needed some size in their wide receiver corps. Having Mingo under contract for two more years after this season justifies the price in their eyes; basically, they didn’t think they’d get anyone they liked better with that fourth-round pick.
Fowler’s analysis is the more damning one as it is he who mentions the word shocker, that Carolina was eager and he even goes on to add that the Panthers had no leverage. All of that makes the trade even more confusing.
Graziano also notes that the Cowboys feel that the two extra years of team control is what justifies the price, but he also adds that the group didn’t believe they could get anyone that they liked better with that fourth-round pick. Excuse me, but that is insane.
That the Cowboys could say in November that there is nobody they would have liked more in the fourth round of a draft six months from now is something said only to serve as a point of reverse justification. My argument is not that fourth-round picks constantly go on to join the Hall of Fame, but acting like it is worthless is ridiculous.
Where the team is at in the current moment underscores this idea perfectly. While the situations are not apples to apples, do the Cowboys maybe feel now that they would be better off with someone from this past year’s fourth round as opposed to Trey Lance on their roster (who they traded for with that pick)? You know, the Trey Lance who the same article we linked to from ESPN notes that the Cowboys are unwilling to start him while Dak Prescott deals with a hamstring injury.
The Cowboys also have Trey Lance on the roster, who is an interesting player to watch. Lance will get more practice reps than usual by virtue of Prescott’s absence and the fact that he’ll have to be ready to play if something happens to Rush. It’s also possible the Cowboys build Lance-specific packages into their offense to make use of his running ability while they continue to look for playmakers. But as of now, there’s no thought of starting Lance over Rush. They believe Rush gives them the best chance to win games with Prescott out.
This team is not in any position to say what a fourth-round pick will or won’t be or could or could not be. None whatsoever.
