The Dallas Cowboys’ acquisition of Jonathan Mingo from the Carolina Panthers has raised some eyebrows, with many NFL insiders considering it an overpay.
The Cowboys traded with the Panthers for Mingo on Tuesday, an unexpected move given the Cowboys’ performance so far in the season. As of early November, Dallas is seen as one of the lower-tier teams in the league, leading many to think they might trade away assets to focus on next season. However, waving the white flag has never been in the Cowboys’ playbook.
While the trade may not be seen as an immediate boost for the Cowboys’ current roster, the one silver lining is that Mingo is under contract through the 2026 season, which some are viewing as a win. Dallas reportedly valued that control highly and paid the price with that in mind—not that it’s particularly surprising.
“Carolina getting a fourth-rounder from Dallas in exchange for Mingo was a shocker. Former Day 2 picks who are out of the lineup typically don’t garner that,” said ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “The Panthers were eager to deal him. Yes, contractual control was a factor in his value. Mingo is in the second year of his rookie deal, meaning Dallas has him under contract for the next 2½ seasons for slightly more than $4 million in total. The Cowboys felt they had to pay a premium for that, and Mingo does have some upside. But Carolina didn’t have much leverage here. On a day that mostly followed a well-worn script, this move was off script.”
Dan Graziano echoed Fowler’s thoughts, adding, “Dallas wasn’t going to trade players and wasn’t going to make a move for a rental. The Cowboys liked Mingo when he came out in the 2023 draft, where he was the No. 39 pick, and they felt they needed some size in their wide receiver corps. Having Mingo under contract for two more years after this season justifies the price in their eyes; basically, they didn’t think they’d get anyone they liked better with that fourth-round pick.”
Fowler’s assessment stands out as the more critical one, particularly his use of the word “shocker” and his assertion that Carolina had no leverage in the deal. This context makes the trade even harder to understand.
Graziano also mentions the Cowboys’ justification for the trade: the two additional years of control over Mingo. However, he also suggests that the Cowboys didn’t think they could find a better player with that fourth-round pick, a point I find difficult to accept.
It’s hard to believe that the Cowboys, in November, could confidently state that they would not have preferred any player available in the fourth round of next year’s draft. While fourth-round picks are not guaranteed to be stars, dismissing them as entirely worthless is a stretch.
This becomes even more apparent when considering the Cowboys’ current roster situation. The Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick to acquire Trey Lance, a player they have shown little interest in starting, despite Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury. As ESPN notes, Dallas believes Cooper Rush offers a better chance to win than Lance.
This situation highlights just how uncertain it is to predict the value of a fourth-round pick. The Cowboys’ claim that they couldn’t find someone better in next year’s draft is an argument built on reverse justification, especially when their current roster decisions suggest they may have misjudged that pick earlier this year.
In short, the Cowboys are hardly in a position to dismiss the potential of future draft picks as easily as they seem to be doing now.
