For once, Jerry Jones was true to his word. And for once, Dallas Cowboys fans wish Jones was posturing to the media.
Even though the season is seemingly over in light of Dak Prescott likely heading to injured reserve with his hamstring injury, the Cowboys are apparently buyers at the trade deadline, as Jones hinted they would be after Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Dallas was one of the first teams to make a move before Tuesday's cutoff, acquiring wide receiver Jonathan Mingo and a 2025 seventh-round pick from the Panthers in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick.
While Mingo is still only 23 years old and will be extremely cheap over the next two seasons, a fifth-round pick is a gross overpay given his production - or lack thereof - and what other receivers have gone for leading up to the deadline.
It's a panic move in every sense of the word and it drew the ire of an anonymous NFL general manager, whom NFL Network's Jane Slater contacted in light of the move.
Anonymous NFL GM rips Cowboys' Jerry Jones over Jonathan Mingo trade
The executive said a fifth-round pick is "way too much" for Mingo, which confirms the Cowboys got absolutely fleeced.
I asked a GM of another team his thoughts on the Cowboys trade for Jonathan Mingo. The thoughts were something “Talented. A little raw. Comp is too much…like way too much. Basically a net 5th. Probably is most like Tolbert of the guys there.” The GM goes on to say “Just my…
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) November 5, 2024
That rival general managers are dumbfounded by the trade says it all. It's both an indictment and an encapsulation of the most dysfunctional front office in the NFL.
It's unfair to Mingo that he's wrapped up in all of the negative discourse, but it's not his fault Dallas backed up the brinks trunk to bring him in.
The Cowboys gave up more for Mingo, who has 55 catches and less than 600 receiving yards in 25 career games, than what the same Panthers got for Dionate Johnson, who has served as a WR1 at various points in his career.
The same goes for DeAndre Hopkins, who leads the NFL in receiving yards since he was drafted in 2013. The Chiefs poached Hopkins from the Titans for a 2025 fifth-round pick that will turn to a fourth-rounder they reach the Super Bowl and Hopkins plays 60% of the snaps.
Hopkins had eight catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns in Kansas City's overtime win over the Buccaneers on Monday night. There is obviously no comparing Hopkins and Mingo as players, but that their trade compensation was nearly identical proves Dallas botched this.
Maybe Mingo develops into a solid player, but the Cowboys have found a lot of impact players in round four over the years. Dak Prescott (!), Tony Pollard, Jake Ferguson, Dorance Armstrong and Dalton Schultz are just some of their most notable finds.
Dallas' hit rate is far from perfect but their 2024 fourth-round pick was used to acquire Trey Lance, who can't even be relied on to start with Prescott out injured. Now, they won't have a fourth in 2025 because they spent it on a player who struggled to carve out a role in arguably the worst receiving corps in the NFL.