The Cowboys made a questionable trade on Tuesday.
As is the norm at the trade deadline in the NFL, we did not see any blockbuster moves.
We saw competent teams make sensible moves to strengthen their rosters for the second half of the season. Then, Dallas Cowboys owner and General Manager Jerry Jones picked up the phone and called the Carolina Panthers.
In a baffling move, that call ended with the Cowboys acquiring second year wide receiver Jonathan Mingo for a 2025 fourth round pick.
Let us take a look around the league to see what other wide receivers have been going for.
DeAndre Hopkins was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for a fifth round pick that may become a fourth.
Diontae Johnson has been traded twice this season, first to the Carolina Panthers in a late-round pick swap and now to the Baltimore Ravens alongside a fifth and sixth round pick swap.
Davante Adams and Amari Cooper have also found new homes for more, but understandably those veterans with a proven record are worth the extra cost.
So how did the Panthers get significantly more than market value for a wide receiver that has delivered next to nothing?
Mingo has more fumbles in his NFL career – two – than touchdowns – zero. He averages two catches and just 22.5 yards per game.
While Carolina has hardly been an environment for a young wide receiver to flourish, it is fair to say Mingo has underwhelmed.
How did this happen?
The Panthers are desperate for resources after paying a heavy price for the number one overall pick that they used on quarterback Bryce Young in the 2023 draft.
A late round pick swap for the player they took in the second round would be considered a good return for Mingo.
Jerry Jones sees things differently. After ruling out the Cowboys as buyers in the trade market, Jones changed his tune after three consecutive losses.
Was wide receiver the Cowboys most pressing need in what is quickly becoming a lost season? No. There are holes all over this roster with help needed on the defensive and offensive lines as priority.
Instead, Jones has spent a fourth round draft pick on a wide receiver when Dak Prescott is heading to IR.
#Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is expected to miss multiple weeks because of the hamstring injury he suffered in Sunday’s loss at Atlanta, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
No decision yet on whether to place Dak on injured reserve. But it’s worse than expected and it will be a bit. pic.twitter.com/9FXD6Mnkms
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 4, 2024
It is a move that is symptomatic of why the Cowboys have struggled to get to a Conference Championship game for 30 years.
Jerry as the owner and General Manager is only accountable to himself. He does not believe anybody else could do a better job than him.
Sadly, it is what continues to hold the Cowboys back and will continue to do so until he passes. Then we will get to see what his son, Stephen, can do as the person in charge.
That being said, welcome to Dallas and best of luck Jonathan Mingo.
