The 2024 NFL trade deadline is here, and we've already seen a couple of big deals get made on Tuesday as the deadline quickly approaches. One such move saw the Dallas Cowboys add some offensive reinforcements in a trade with the Carolina Panthers, as they acquired former second-round wide receiver Jonathan Mingo.
This certainly isn't the biggest trade we have seen this year, but Mingo has a lot of upside that he was unable to recognize with Carolina that could be tapped into by Dallas. So with that being said, let's take a closer look at this deal and hand out some grades to see who came out on top in this trade.
Cowboys receive: WR Jonathan Mingo, 2025 seventh-round pick
Panthers receive: 2025 fourth-round pick
The 2024 campaign has been an absolute mess for the Cowboys to this point, as they've posted a 3-5 record through their first eight games, while dealing with a plethora of injuries, the latest being a hamstring ailment that is going to send Dak Prescott to the injured reserve. While some folks figured Dallas could operate as sellers ahead of the deadline, they opted to make a move for Mingo.
Unfortunately, there's a lot to dislike about this trade from the Cowboys perspective. Despite being in a lackluster offense where he had a clear cut opportunity to establish himself as a top wide receiver, Mingo has racked up just 55 catches for 539 yards in the first 24 games of his NFL career. Considering how the Panthers used the 39th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft on him, it's safe to say Mingo was a disappointment for them.
While Brandin Cooks is out for the time being, Dallas doesn't have much of a need for pass catchers. CeeDee Lamb is a star, and Jalen Tolbert and Jake Ferguson have been solid secondary playmakers behind him. The position the Cowboys truly needs to address is running back, but for whatever reason, they have opted to take a flier on Mingo instead.
Making matters even worse, they drastically overpaid for him by sending a fourth-round pick to the Panthers. Yes, he's on a cost-efficient rookie deal for the next two-and-a-half seasons, but when you consider how DeAndre Hopkins and Diontae Johnson both only cost the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, respectively, a fifth-round pick, that makes this deal look even worse.
Mingo has untapped potential, but he doesn't exactly fill a position of need for Dallas, and even worse, the front office drastically overpaid for him. There's a chance he finds his footing with the Cowboys, but he will now be catching passes from Cooper Rush for the foreseeable future, which won't exactly help make his transition from Carolina to Dallas all that smooth.
Cowboys grade: D+
On the other hand, the Panthers did well to get a very solid return for Mingo, who simply was not a part of their offense this season. With Xaiver Legette and Jalen Coker immediately stepping into big roles as rookies, the need for Mingo simply wasn't there for Carolina. Make no mistake, burning a high second-round pick on him hurts, but nabbing a fourth-rounder in return for him is good business.
Parting with a seventh-round pick doesn't really hurt the Panthers, as the biggest issue is the possibility that they gave up on Mingo too early. Considering what other wide receivers have gone for ahead of the trade deadline, though, this is a solid piece of business for Carolina, as they will now focus on developing Legette and Coker as much as possible without having to worry about Mingo.
Panthers grade: B
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