The Dallas Cowboys’ offense is humming to start the season, as the Dak Prescott-led unit is having success both through the air and on the ground. A big part of the early returns in the passing game has been wideout George Pickens’ stellar play. Ryan Flournoy has been emerging in CeeDee Lamb’s absence, and with Lamb returning soon, the Cowboys’ passing game might even reach new heights.
Having said that, Lamb is not the only WR returning to Dallas’ lineup soon.
Jonathan Mingo, who has been out since the preseason after suffering a right knee injury, is getting ready to make his season debut. The 24-year-old had his 21-day practice window opened last Wednesday, but was eventually ruled out for Week 5 after only being a limited participant in practice. On Wednesday of this week, Mingo was a full participant in practice, per The Athletic‘s Jon Machota, increasing his chances of getting activated ahead of Week 6.
Jonathan Mingo’s Return Highlights Disastrous Cowboys Trade
Since Lamb and KaVontae Turpin are still out, Mingo’s return could provide additional depth at wideout for the Cowboys. At least, on paper. In practice, Mingo hasn’t made any impact since arriving in Dallas at last season’s trade deadline. In the eight games he played as a Cowboy, Mingo only had five catches on 16 targets, for 46 yards, and no scores.
Considering the price tag of Mingo, this was an extremely disappointing output. For some reason, owner/general manager Jerry Jones thought that the former Panthers WR was worth a fourth-round pick even though Mingo still hasn’t reached the 500-yard mark. He had a low catch rate, only catching 49.5% of his targets, and only averaging 9.7 yards per reception. He averaged 22.5 receiving yards per game in his 24 games as a Panther.
Looking at those numbers, it shouldn’t have been too surprising to see Mingo struggling in Dallas. Upon his return, Cowboys fans and the top brass will be reminded once again how much they gave up to have Mingo as an underwhelming WR4/5.
The Panthers ended up drafting running back Trevor Etienne with the fourth-round pick they acquired in the Mingo trade. The first-year rusher has already begun to make an impact in Carolina, whereas rookies like RB Woody Marks and cornerback Billy Bowman Jr., who were selected after that pick, have already become instant contributors for their team.
The Cowboys could have had their pick out of that group, but instead, they have to watch Mingo not fill up the stat sheet for another season. Unless he looks like a completely new player, Dallas might have to rethink the Brandon, MS native’s future with the franchise.
