The Dallas Cowboys are simply incapable of being normal.
Between trading for George Pickens and Quinnen Williams and signing Javonte Williams and Jadeveon Clowney, they made a lot of good moves last offseason.
However, trading Micah Parsons, arguably the most talented pass rusher in franchise history, puts a big stain on all of that. The decision to trade for Kenneth Murray and make him the defense’s field general only raised questions about whether there’s a coherent evaluation process behind these moves. The Jonathan Mingo trade is another example.
Jon Machota of The Athletic took a stab at predicting the 2026 offensive roster, and his outlook on the wide receiver room is a brutal indictment of the Mingo trade.
"(Ryan) Flournoy is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He had a breakout season in 2025, making it easier for the Cowboys to move on from Tolbert and possibly Mingo, who has a year left on his rookie contract."
Ryan Flournoy's emergence could see Cowboys move on from Jonathan Mingo
Whether George Pickens is signed to a long-term deal or gets franchise-tagged, Machota doesn't think he's going anywhere. The same went for KaVontae Turpin, who totaled 43 touches, 446 yards from scrimmage, and two touchdowns this season.
The emergence of Flournoy, who took the WR3 job from Jalen Tolbert in the middle of the year, gives Dallas a true three-headed monster. If you dig into the advanced metrics, Flournoy was quietly one of the more reliable and productive tertiary receivers in the league.
Flournoy's 78.3 receiving grade ranked 23rd out of 77 receivers who logged at least 50 targets, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He ranked 14th with a 111.8 passer rating when targeted, and 19th with 5.0 yards after the catch per reception.
READ MORE: Cowboys caught sleeping as dream Brian Schottenheimer assistant lands with NFC foe
A second-round pick of the Panthers in 2023, Mingo suffered a knee injury in preseason that landed him on injured reserve to start the year. He was activated in October, but still couldn't get on the field.
Buried on the depth chart, Mingo was a healthy scratch against Denver, Arizona, and Las Vegas before making his season debut in Week 12 against the Eagles. He appeared in six of the final seven games (he was a healthy scratch again vs. the Chiefs), catching one of five targets for 25 yards.
The Cowboys can cut Mingo this offseason and save $1.9 million in cap space. Moving on from Mingo would create a path to playing time for promising rookie Traeshon Holden, who flashed a lot of potential in training camp, or a potential Day 3 pick this year.
That would be far more worthwhile than trying to force Mingo into the offense. Whatever the team decides, the trade can already be labeled a failure.
It is utterly inconceivable that Dallas gave up a fourth-round pick for him before the 2024 trade deadline.