The reality is that what we’ve seen so far this year from the Cowboys wide-receiver group has been enough top-level talent to give some confidence that this team could get by with only its top four lining up each week. CeeDee Lamb is one of the best in the game, and George Pickens replaced him admirably when Lamb was out with an ankle sprain.
KaVontae Turpin has shown the speed and versatility to be a reliable weapon, and Ryan Flournoy, in Week 5 against the Jets, is the only other Cowboys player besides Pickens and Lamb to record a 100-yard receiving game.
With those four guys and the return to form of tight end Jake Ferguson (51 catches and six touchdowns in seven weeks), the Cowboys are pretty full-up on pass-catchers. They have Jalen Tolbert for depth. And as of Tuesday, they have Jonathan Mingo on the 53-man roster, too. Whether he has a spot and a role, though, is another story.
Cowboys Announce Roster Change
The Cowboys announced that Mingo had been removed from the IR and put into the 53-man roster, with backup offensive lineman Trevor Keegan moving to IR in place of him. That gives the Cowboys six wide receivers, which is on the high side but not unheard of on an NFL roster.
On a roster like that of the Cowboys, though, stacked with receivers who are demonstrably better than Mingo and badly in need of depth elsewhere, keeping Mingo active on game days feels like a luxury the team does not need.
But the Cowboys will keep him, at least for this year. They almost have to, because the team gave up a fourth-round pick to acquire him at last year’s NFL trade deadline, and dumping him know would be a stark admission that the deal was a mistake. Mingo has appeared in eight games thus far for the Cowboys, and has made just five catches on 16 targets.
Jonathan Mingo Will Struggle to See the Field
The Cowboys need to hold onto Mingo as a face-saver, in hopes that some circumstance develops that requires him to get on the field and that he excels when he does so. But as things stand, the Cowboys’ top four receivers all rank in the Top 30 of the Pro Football Focus receiver rankings, out of 127 total receivers in the league.
It is not an impossible outcome, even if it is a longshot. With the way that Dak Prescott is playing, Mingo has his best chance to make a name for himself.
“I feel great,” Mingo said on Monday via The Athletic‘s Jon Machota. “I’m excited. Been waiting. First time I get a chance to play with Dak. I got traded last year, he was hurt. (Then) I missed seven games this year, so I’m finally happy to go out there and play with him. We had a good connection in camp.”
Mingo wants to replicate that on the field. But he has to get on the field to begin with to make it happen.
Is Maurkice Pouncey Steelers Next Hall of Famer?
PITTSBURGH — Former Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey is one of 52 Modern-Era players advancing in the voting for the 2026 class of the Football Hall of Fame. He was a staple along the offensive line between 2010 and 2020, and now his excellent career is one step closer to being forever enshrined in Canton, Ohio at the Hall of Fame.
The former Steelers center is a future Hall of Famer, there’s no question about it. One of the greatest Steelers players in franchise history is on an express route to his enshrinement. Even with a first-class ticket to his destination, don’t expect his induction to come with this next class. Pouncey will get into the Hall one day, but it’s not next year.
First-Year Eligible
The big thing going against Pouncey is that this is his first year of eligibility. The Hall isn’t too keen on inducting offensive linemen immediately. Two previous Steelers Hall of Fame centers serve as a template. Mike Webster, one of the greatest of all-time at the position, took two years before earning the nod. Dermontti Dawson had to wait over a decade after his NFL career ended before receiving that call from Canton.
Jan 14, 2018; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey (53) snaps the ball to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second quarter in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Heinz Field. Jacksonville won 45-42. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Pouncey’s NFL career was incredible. He was a two-time AP 1st Team All-Pro, a three-time AP 2nd Team All-Pro and a nine-time Pro Bowler. He was the first center in NFL history to be named to the Pro Bowl in his first three years in the league. He was also named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-Decade Team for the 2010s, another notable addition to his HOF application. Despite all that, the Hall of Fame will make Pouncey wait at least a year before his enshrinement. Patience, Steelers fans, one day soon there will be a trio of Pittsburgh centers with their busts displayed in the Hall of Fame.
Quarterback’s Best Friend
Pouncey’s career is forever intertwined and linked with franchise legend and two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The two played 10 seasons together in the NFL. During their tenure, they formed one of the top duos in the NFL and led the Steelers to a Super Bowl appearance and two trips to the AFC Conference Championship.
Roethlisberger isn’t eligible for the Hall of Fame until 2027. Something tells me that Pouncey won’t be voted in until his running mate and signal-caller in the NFL is entering as well. Could the Hall of Fame Class of 2027 be a Steelers filled one?
