Jerry Jones‘ mystery wide receiver is now revealed. The Cowboys will make a deal with the Panthers, who are sending Jonathan Mingo to the NFC East team, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.
In a corresponding move, Pelissero notes cornerback Andrew Booth has been waived. The 2022 Viking made only a pair of starts across two seasons in Minnesota. The former second-rounder was dealt to the Cowboys in a swap for fellow corner Nahshon Wright back in August, giving both players a change of scenery. Booth, 24, played just 38 snaps with Dallas and he will now hit the waiver wire.
Mingo was viewed as a player no longer in Carolina’s plans, and the 2023 second-rounder had not caught on in either of the two offensive systems in which he has played. The Cowboys are taking a flier on a player who was a top-40 pick just last year. The Cowboys will add Mingo and a seventh-round pick, while the Panthers will receive a fourth-rounder, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets.
[RELATED: Panthers Deal Diontae Johnson To Ravens]
Mentioned in PFR’s rundown of the WR trade market, Mingo joins Adam Thielen as players the Panthers appeared OK dealing. Thielen remains with Carolina, but the 34-year-old veteran is believed to be eager to join a contender. Thielen is signed through 2025 but profiles as a cut candidate next year — due to his age and his ’25 salary being nonguaranteed. The Panthers have already dealt two of their WRs; a third would certainly be interesting, even for a rebuilding team.
This is a better return than the Panthers received for Diontae Johnson, who fetched merely a Day 3 pick swap in the Ravens trade. Mingo being signed through 2026 undoubtedly procured that for the Panthers, as the Cowboys will have multiple years to evaluate the Ole Miss alum. Mingo’s age (23) and contract status factored into this value, as it is worth noting the Cowboys-Browns Amari Cooper trade and the Dallas-Houston Brandin Cooks swap did not involve a fourth-round pick.
Mingo managed a 4.46-second 40-yard dash at 220 pounds during the 2023 Combine, leading to the Cowboys showing interest, per Jones. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. rated Mingo as its No. 37 overall prospect. Mingo only topped 300 receiving yards in one of his four Rebels seasons, however, with the 2022 campaign bringing 861 yards and five touchdowns last season. But he still caught the Panthers’ eye before becoming the No. 39 overall pick last year. Carolina had managed to keep No. 39 despite acquiring Bryce Young via trade-up; that decision led to Carolina trading No. 61 to Chicago, which also acquired the Panthers’ 2025 second-rounder in that seminal swap.
The Cowboys had chosen Jalen Tolbert in the 2022 third round and had traded for Cooks shortly before last year’s draft. Cooks is now on IR. Mingo profiles as more of a developmental piece compared to one that will immediately reignite the Cowboys like Cooper did following a 2018 in-season trade. Mingo has just 12 receptions for 121 yards this season. During a rookie season that featured Frank Reich being fired after 11 games, Mingo managed 43 catches for 418 yards. He does not yet have an NFL touchdown. Under the hood, The33rdTeam.com notes Mingo ranks either last or second-to-last in yards per route run and catch rate for players with 50 receptions since 2023.
Mingo will now join Tolbert and CeeDee Lamb in Dallas’ receiving corps. Carolina, meanwhile, has until 3pm CT today to decide on trading Thielen. It is also possible Thielen becomes a post-deadline release, though that is far from certain. The Panthers will retool around rookie first-rounder Xavier Legette and rookie UDFA Jalen Coker.
“We never got into any discussions. I never opened that door,” Morgan said. “Didn’t want to trade Bryce, still don’t and committed to working with him and helping him grow and helping him develop.”
