While the Cowboys weren't exactly quiet during free agency this spring, there is still plenty of work to do for this team that finished 7-10 in 2024.
Not only did they add some key players in free agency and via trades, but they also re-signed some of the core depth as well.
Still, there are other guys on this team that must take that next step in order for the Cowboys to be successful in 2025.
Today, we'll continue the Next Man Up series with wide receiver Jonathan Mingo.
- Name: Jonathan Mingo
- Position: Wide receiver
- Experience: 2 years
- Games Played/Starts: 32/20
- Years Left on Contract: 2
- How Acquired: Trade
- Key Stat: 15 first downs in 2023
The Past: As it stands, Mingo is trying to prove he was worth the Panthers spending a 2nd-round pick to acquire him out of Ole Miss in 2023. He got off to a solid start for a very bad Panthers team in his rookie season, producing more than 400 yards along with 15 first downs in 14 starts while averaging 9.7 yards per catch in the process. His struggles with finding the end zone could easily be more attributable to the struggles of rookie quarterback Bryce Young throwing for only 11 touchdowns that entire season to 10 interceptions (16 games).
The Present: There's clearly something the Cowboys saw in Mingo that led them to send their 2025 fourth-round pick to the Panthers to acquire him just ahead of the 2024 trade deadline, but things are off to a rocky start. But, much like his time in Charlotte, it's largely due to inconsistent and, at times, poor quarterback play in Dallas by way of a struggling Cooper Rush during much of Mingo's half season with the Cowboys. The two could never get on the same page and though Mingo's routes looked crisp on film, often getting separation and finding a way to get open, whenever he did, he was thrown a fried duck of a ball.
The Future: When he gets to training camp in Oxnard, his first with the Cowboys and inaugural one with Dak Prescott, he'll have his first real chance at showing what he can do when an All-Pro quarterback and former NFL MVP runner-up is throwing passes to him. And with the backup quarterback role being shaken up — Rush now in Baltimore, Trey Lance joining the Chargers and Joe Milton landing in Dallas via trade — it'll be interesting to see if Milton can establish chemistry with the entire QB room. One thing is for sure, though, and that's the fact the Cowboys need someone to step up and be a consistently dynamic complement to CeeDee Lamb and if they also grab an "explosive" receiver in this year's draft, Mingo will have that much more competition, and that much more to prove.
