One week after getting CeeDee Lamb back in their lineup, the Dallas Cowboys will benefit from the return of another receiver. In a pair of corresponding moves, the team activated Jonathan Mingo from injured reserve while placing Trevor Keegan on IR with a neck injury.
The Cowboys made the moves official on Monday, as reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter. Keegan, who has only played 17 snaps in his two-year career, will now be eligible to return in Week 13.
Mingo has been on injured reserve since the preseason, when he suffered a PCL injury in the Cowboys' second preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. He hurt his knee while extending for a pass from backup quarterback Joe Milton III.
Assuming he takes the field, Mingo will make his 2025 season debut in Week 8. The 24-year-old joined the Cowboys at the 2024 trade deadline, when Dallas acquired him and a 2025 seventh-round draft pick for a 2025 fourth-rounder.
Mingo has played in eight games for the Cowboys, catching just five of his 16 targets for 46 receiving yards. He was the team's answer to its glaring need for receivers at the deadline, a move that upset fans at the time.
Jonathan Mingo's injury return bolsters Cowboys' receiving corps
Although Mingo has failed to deliver on his expectations, his return gives Dallas a fully healthy receiving corps for the first time in 2025.
Mingo has 20 career starts in his three-year career, but he started just one game for the Cowboys in 2024. He returns to a receiving room that now has George Pickens and a healthy Lamb, likely limiting him to a reserve role.
Mingo will also have to compete with Jalen Tolbert and Ryan Flournoy. Both players have emerged recently, with the latter showcasing his talent during Lamb's absence. Flournoy, a 2024 sixth-round pick, already has more receiving yards with the Cowboys than Mingo does.
While healthy, Dallas' entire passing attack will be tested in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos. The Broncos allow just 179.9 passing yards per game, the sixth-fewest, while sacking opposing quarterbacks at the highest rate in the league.
