How the Jonathan Mingo commerce may complicate issues at operating again for the Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys’ entrance workplace doesn’t display a lot creativity of their roster-building course of. A lot of the heavy lifting is finished within the draft, the place they discover All-Professional gamers after which re-sign them to long-term offers. They don’t spend a lot cash in free company, and each every now and then, they orchestrate a commerce. That’s the synopsis of the Cowboys’ roster-building method.

Whereas the fanbase is thirsting for them to make strikes, a few trades lately haven’t panned out as we hoped. In back-to-back years, the Cowboys traded away their fourth-round decide to amass a participant from one other staff. In 2023, it was for Trey Lance, and final season, it was for Jonathan Mingo. Each Lance and Mingo have performed sparingly, and once they did, they didn’t give followers a lot to be enthusiastic about.

Making offers is dangerous, and whereas it’s straightforward to get excited a few new participant, issues don’t all the time work out as deliberate. Even among the extra praised entrance workplaces within the league can produce some stinkers.

TEAM
PLAYER
PICK
GAMES
REC
YARDS
TDs
YDs/GM
FUTURE STANDING

Buffalo Payments
Amari Cooper
third
8
20
297
2
37.1
Free agent this offseason

Philadelphia Eagles
Jahan Dotson
third
17
19
216
0
12.7
One 12 months left on his rookie deal

Dallas Cowboys
Jonathan Mingo
4th
8
5
46
0
5.8
Two years left on his rookie deal

The Payments have been applauded for going after Amari Cooper on the commerce deadline final 12 months. They gave up a third- and fifth-round decide for him, however his influence was far lower than what they hoped for. His per-game averages for catches and yards have been the bottom of any 12 months with any of his earlier three groups (Raiders, Cowboys, and Browns). Making issues worse is that Cooper is now an unrestricted free agent making him simply an eight-game rental for Buffalo.

Issues weren’t any higher for the Eagles and their cube roll on Jahan Dotson. Much like Cooper, Dotson’s manufacturing was low. His per-game averages have been only a third of what he was doing in Washington, regardless of already placing up unimpressive numbers with the Commanders. Philadelphia made a number of good strikes final 12 months, however the Dotson commerce wasn’t one among them. The one saving grace is that they’ve him below contract for yet another season so he nonetheless has an opportunity to do one thing.

And that’s all of the Cowboys have with Mingo as a result of his manufacturing in Dallas was horrid. The Cowboys nonetheless have an opportunity to avoid wasting face as Mingo has two extra years left on his deal they usually gave up a fourth in comparison with third. That’s one thing, we suppose.

Whereas we’ll cross our fingers on the Mingo factor, the Cowboys should transfer ahead with out a fourth-round decide this 12 months. Once more. Usually a decide exterior the highest 100 gamers isn’t one thing to lose an excessive amount of sleep over, but it surely’s nonetheless draft capital that may be helpful. The Cowboys have landed 4 Professional Bowl gamers within the fourth spherical during the last decade, together with the highest-paid participant within the NFL, Dak Prescott.

What makes shedding this 12 months’s fourth-rounder extra aggravating is that it’s a decide that falls proper in an space of the draft the place there’s a place group wealthy with expertise and a place the Cowboys want some assist – the operating again place. The operating backs at present on the roster are Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis. Yikes. This staff should take motion to strengthen the place this offseason and the draft is one of the best ways to try this.

When you take a look at the expertise distribution format for the 2025 NFL Draft, the operating again group appears to be like like this (draft rankings courtesy of NFL Mock Database):

1st Spherical – Ashton Jeanty, Boise State2nd Spherical – Omarion Hampton, North Carolina2nd Spherical – TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State2nd Spherical – Kaleb Johnson, Iowa3rd Spherical – Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State3rd Spherical – Dylan Sampson, Tennesee

That’s six operating backs projected to go by the point the Cowboys decide within the third spherical. The reply may very properly lie with a type of gamers. Nonetheless, the place will get a jolt of contributors in case you take a look at the gamers projected within the late third/fourth spherical of the draft.

As a result of the Cowboys don’t have a fourth-round decide, their third-round decide is their final probability to safe a possible beginning operating again. This implies they may should chunk the bullet and take their greatest man left with their third-round decide, or finagle some commerce again to amass some draft capital that places them into the recent zone of this group of operating backs.

Final 12 months, all of us anticipated the Cowboys to come back away with a operating again by the top of Day 2, particularly with the additional third-round decide they acquired once they traded again within the first spherical, but it surely didn’t occur. The Cowboys cherished Cooper Beebe and Marist Liufau a lot (and we don’t blame them) that they have been okay with neglecting the operating again place, and contemplating their struggles final season, it actually was felt. The Cowboys ought to attempt to keep away from happening that very same path once more this 12 months, however buying and selling for Mingo may as soon as once more make this a difficult train.

One factor that’s tremendous irritating concerning the Jonathan Mingo commerce is how they Cowboys will miss out on RB stretch within the draft. Eight RBs are projected to go after the Cowboys decide within the third spherical and a minimum of one will inevitably slide to the 4th spherical a la Bucky Irving. pic.twitter.com/EjRoNXtGuh

— Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) February 23, 2025