How the George Pickens trade could actually be good for Jonathan Mingo

Jonathan Mingo’s role with the Cowboys remains an interesting one after the George Pickens trade.

Welcome to the Dallas Cowboys George Pickens!

True to their word, the Dallas Cowboys weren’t done making trades after the completion of the 2025 NFL Draft. They have now landed a wide receiver who will pair nicely with CeeDee Lamb and give Dak Prescott another go-to target in the passing game. This move should take Dallas’ offense to an entirely different level.

While the excitement and expectations level has now risen significantly for the Cowboys after acquiring George Pickens, it does raise the question as to why they traded the 2024 fourth-round draft pick to the Carolina Panthers for WR Jonathan Mingo. Sadly, many are viewing that trade much like the Trey Lance failure. Could they be wrong?

Despite the acquisition of Pickens, there’s still reason to believe Mingo can turn his career around with the Cowboys. Yes, he’s now further down on the depth chart and hasn’t made the best argument that he can be a reliable weapon in the passing game since arriving in Dallas, and yet, it’s also true it’s too soon to write him off just yet.

To date, Jonathan Mingo has accumulated 60 catches for 585 receiving yards thus far in his two-year career in the NFL with both the Carolina Panthers and Cowboys. For a former second-round pick (39th overall) one would expect those numbers to be much better, especially considering the physical traits/talent he possesses.

There’s still reason to believe Mingo can be everything scouts believed him capable of coming out of Ole Miss. After all, he didn’t exactly enter the NFL under the best circumstances.

• He started his career with a rookie QB (Bryce Young)
• OL couldn’t protect Bryce Young
• He had little help around him with the Panthers
• Three different head coaches/coordinators in two years in the league
• Midseason trade left little time to acclimate himself in Dallas
• Backup QBs (Rush, Lance) throwing him the ball
• Limited snap count and targets with Cowboys

Mingo hasn’t really been afforded the opportunity to acclimate himself in the NFL just yet. Even though he’s entering Year 3 with his fourth new head coach and coaching staff, the system probably won’t be much different than it was last year under Mike McCarthy. That alone should do wonders for this development.

How the acquisition of Pickens potentially benefits Mingo is relatively simple. It gives him the time he hasn’t had since entering the league to continue to work on his craft and acclimate himself with the Cowboys offense. In essence, it takes the pressure off of him having to step into a role he may or may not be ready for.

At still just 24 years old, the 6’2″, 220-pound WR can now focus on doing all the little things right and continue to improve as a player instead of being thrown into the fire like he was in Carolina. Only time will tell if this will end up helping him turn his career around, but with Pickens now in the picture, this is his best chance to continue his growth as a player.

Don’t be at all surprised if he ends up pushing Jalen Tolbert for the WR3 job or if he carves out a significant offensive role for himself in 2025. He has all the tools needed to succeed with the Cowboys. He still very much someone to keep an eye on throughout training camp and preseason, even after the arrival of Pickens.