Who do you think is WR3 for the Cowboys?
Remember Jonathan Mingo, the wide receiver the Dallas Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick for from the Carolina Panthers last year? You know, the punchline of many jokes who has become an afterthought recently. Well, he’s quietly having a good training camp and is creating quite the competition for the WR3 job behind CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
Unable to really acclimate to his new environment last year after arriving via trade, Mingo looks to have benefited from a full offseason in the Cowboys program, putting his nose to the grind stone in an attempt to better his positioning on the depth chart ahead of the 2025 NFL season. So far, it looks like it may be paying off.
Through nearly two weeks of training camp practices, Mingo has made play after play, connecting with both Dak Prescott and Joe Milton. He’s starting to make himself known and even flashing more than who many assumed would be the WR3, Jalen Tolbert.
“I’m trying to get on the field,” Mingo said. “So, I’m out here competing every day, showing the coach how to do it in pass game and run game. I’ll do whatever they need me to do. But I’m trying to go out here, compete. I’m trying to get on the field. I’m trying to make plays. I feel like I haven’t showed my full potential. I feel like my full potential going to show this year. So, when my number called, I’m going to make my play and I’m just going to help the team win.”
There’s a noticeable difference between this year and last so far for Mingo, and as a result, he looks to have created a serious competition for the WR3 job. Tolbert may have had the inside track to begin with, but Mingo’s play so far in training camp may have created more of a neck-and-neck race.
While the WR3 job looks to be up for grabs right now, it’s probably not a simple head-to-head battle between Mingo and Tolbert. Don’t rule out KaVontae Turpin. He’s been worked more into the passing game in training camp and has impressed. His speed, versatility, and elusiveness could create quite the mismatch weapon if utilized correctly.
This three-headed competition for the WR3 job is a good problem for the Cowboys to have, regardless who wins and emerges the victor. Mingo, Tolbert, and Turpin all bring something a little different to the table and could be mixed and matched in and out of the starting lineup throughout the season depending on different variables each week.
As far as Mingo is concerned though, as long as he continues to stack good days together in training camp and preseason, the more likely he’ll achieve his goal of getting on the field more often this year and contributing. Right now that’s all we can expect from No. 81 until the WR3 competition works itself out and the depth chart is finalized.