The Dallas Cowboys had been planning to make a huge trade deadline acquisition as they try to cling to what is left of their 2024 season. Instead of making a move for a player who could have made a difference instantly, they decided to acquire struggling youngster Jonathan Mingo from the Carolina Panthers.

Not only was Mingo an underwhelming addition, but many took issue with Dallas surrendering a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to acquire a player who has been incredibly disappointing in the pros. It seems unlikely that Cooper Rush is going to be the guy who starts to fix everything.

While some may try to defend the Mingo trade as taking a chance on a young player with a few more years of cheap club control, the addition of Mingo is essentially locking in Dallas’ top three wideouts for the rest of 2024 and the beginning of 2025.

By adding Mingo to a team that has CeeDee Lamb locked in long-term and seems interested in continuing to develop Jalen Tolbert, it seems less likely than ever that Dallas will invest in a skill position player in the first few rounds of the 2025 Draft.

Everyone reading this article has the same number of receiving touchdowns that Mingo has amassed in his professional career. Playing on the worst team in the league in Carolina with a reeling Bryce Young at quarterback isn’t an ideal situation, but not finding pay dirt once with some serious playing time is a bad look.

The 2025 wide receiver class isn’t as strong at the top as it was last year, but there are some gems that could go in the middle rounds. With so many holes on the roster, the Cowboys may be blocked from using a Day 2 pick on a wide receiver due to the roadblock Mingo has created.

With Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb signed to very expensive contracts, the easiest way for the Cowboys to build a contender is to hit on draft picks who can perform on cheap contracts. Unless Mingo starts to turn it around, bringing in another wide receiver in 2025 seems unlikely.

The Cowboys’ bullish bet on Mingo could be proven correct if he ends up becoming the stud he was at Ole Miss. However, that seems like a very risky proposition, especially if it deters picking a receiver in the Draft.

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