Justification for Cowboys bizarre trade is still paying for Jerry Jones’ sins

Don’t waste your time trying to figure out what goes through Jerry Jones’ head as he makes his moves. Because trying to justify the Dallas Cowboys trading for Jonathan Mingo as anything other than desperate makes you more clueless than you realize.

According to Pro Football Talk, Jones’ move for Mingo wasn’t about this season, rather the next two seasons with Mingo being a project rather than an immediate solution. 

Yes, that’s just as dumb as it reads. 

You don’t go all in by planning for the future. That’s not what all-in means. And this whole “low-cost” solution is just a cover up for how lazy he was at making any real moves. Because they could have found other low cost options that can both impact 2024 and on. 

For example, Tyler Boyd’s contract is cheaper than Mingo’s and he’s far more established than Mingo. On top of that, if Boyd showed just how good he can be in this offense, he could have been an affordable player to re-sign for 2025 and on. 

Jerry Jones once again proves he is scrambling in all the wrong places for the right answers

Jones is scrambling because it’s become clear to him he has no idea what he is doing. He has not done a single thing to benefit this team this year that didn’t involve current players. He inked CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott to long term deals but nothing else has really happened. 

He could have been more active at the trade deadline, especially when you saw how cheap most of the acquisitions were. The most expensive was Marshon Lattimore, but other than that, Jones could have made some better moves if he wanted to. 

But he’s too focused on the money side of things because he knows he still has to pay Micah Parsons. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But when you neglect the talent side for the dollar signs, it gets you into the current situation you’re in now. 

The Cowboys didn’t even get the best receiver on that team. Last season, Mingo had just over 400 receiving yards and this season he’s a tad over 100 receiving yards. He has yet to catch his first NFL career touchdown pass. 

What about this deal screams long term project that’s going to solve their offensive problems? It doesn’t. All it does is it covers his behind so he can at least say he made a move like he said he would. 

Not all acquisitions are made equal. And justifying the deal for Mingo is wasting breath. Jones could have made no moves before Tuesday and that would have been better than getting Mingo. 

Maybe I’m wrong and Mingo turns out to be a cheap, No. 2 option that can have a long career next to Lamb. But I’m betting on us looking back and adding this to the list of failed deals Jones made that ultimately didn’t pan out like he hoped.