Cowboys, Panthers Depth Chart, Salary Cap, NFL Draft Picks After Jonathan Mingo Trade
November 5, 2024
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wasn't lying about being active ahead of the trade deadline, despite his team's struggles this season.
Per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Cowboys will send a 2025 fourth-round draft pick to the Carolina Panthers for second-year wide receiver Jonathan Mingo and a 2025 seventh-round selection.
Mingo has fallen out of favor in Carolina, so the Cowboys took a low-risk gamble to see if they can maximize the potential for a talented 23-year-old. He is owed a total of $3.5 million over the next two seasons after 2024 with cap hits under $2 million in both years.
The Cowboys entered the day with $22.7 million in cap space available this season. The Panthers had just $4.1 million in cap room.
Here are the updated offensive depth charts for both teams after the trade, as well as their 2025 draft picks.
Cowboys Depth Chart
- QB: Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush, Trey Lance
- RB: Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Hunter Luepke, Deuce Vaughn
- WR: CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Brooks
- WR: Brandin Cooks, Jonathan Mingo, Ryan Flournoy
- WR: Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin
- TE: Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, Brevyn Spann-Ford, John Stephens Jr.
- LT: Tyler Guyton, Asim Richards
- LG: Tyler Smith, T.J. Bass
- C: Cooper Beebe, Brock Hoffman
- RG: Zack Martin
- RT: Terence Steele, Matt Waletzko
Depth chart via DallasCowboys.com
Panthers Depth Chart
- QB: Andy Dalton, Bryce Young
- RB: Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders, Raheem Blackshear
- WR: Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker
- WR: David Moore
- TE: Tommy Tremble, Feleipe Franks, Jordan Matthews
- TE: Ian Thomas, Ja'Tavion Sanders
- LT: Ikem Ekwonu, Yosh Nijman
- LG: Damien Lewis, Chandler Zavala
- C: Brady Christensen, Cade Mays
- RG: Robert Hunt, Jarrett Kingston
- RT: Taylor Moton
Depth chart via Panthers.com.
Cowboys' 2025 Draft Picks
- Own first round
- Own second round
- Own third round
- Own fifth round
- Three projected fifth-round compensatory picks
- Own sixth round
- Panthers' seventh round (Mingo trade)
Panthers' 2025 Draft Picks
- Own first round
- Los Angeles Rams' second round (2024 draft day trade)
- Own third round
- Own fourth round
- Cowboys' fourth round (Mingo trade)
- Own fifth
- New York Giants' fifth round (Brian Burns trade)
- Baltimore Ravens' fifth-round (Diontae Johnson trade)
- Seventh round (Selection depends on standings with Arizona Cardinals from Robbie Chosen trade)
- Seventh round pick swap with Kansas City Chiefs (Ihmir Smith-Marsette trade)
Even though Mingo will get an opportunity to showcase his talent in the Cowboys offense, this is not just a move for 2024 since they don't look like a playoff contender right now.
Whatever hope the Cowboys had of trying to be a postseason team may have gone out the window with Jerry Jones announcing on Tuesday that Dak Prescott will "likely" go on injured reserve due to the hamstring injury he suffered in Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Mingo isn't a bad bet for Dallas to make, even if the cost of a fourth-round pick was maybe a little high. B/R's NFL scouting department had him ranked as the No. 69 overall prospect and eighth-best receiver in the 2023 draft coming out of Mississippi.
Of course, the results for Mingo so far in the NFL have not been positive. He had 43 receptions and 418 yards in 15 games as a rookie. The Panthers only used him for 40 or more offensive snaps in three of nine games.
The Cowboys have had problems this season finding a receiver opposite CeeDee Lamb who can be reliably counted on to make plays. Mingo has never been that player with the Panthers, but a fresh start with a better situation around him might unlock something.
Carolina's focus has to be on 2025 and beyond, so acquiring another fourth-round draft pick is smart business. The Panthers currently project to have the No. 4 overall pick and could end up with three in the top 70.
Add in their two fourth-round selections now, the Panthers might end up with five selections in the first 115 picks. This is exactly what they need to jumpstart this roster rebuild that has been hindered by not having draft assets the past two years because of the trade they made with the Chicago Bears to acquire the No. 1 selection.