Although sentiment has improved following a surprise win in Week 9, the 2-7 Carolina Panthers decided to release one of their players on Tuesday.

Second-year wideout Jonathan Mingo was traded to the Dallas Cowboys this afternoon before the league's trade deadline. Mingo, the second receiver traded from Carolina in the last week and a 2025 seventh-round pick, will head to Dallas in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick.

Mingo was selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft and has yet to score a touchdown in his professional career. He had 43 catches for 418 yards in his rookie season and had to sit out his second season as he totaled 12 catches for 121 yards in an increasingly diminishing role.

Mingo's work over the first two seasons was inconsistent, as the former Ole Miss star underperformed. Although he has a fascinating athletic profile, he has problems with situational and spatial awareness and has never carved out a special role for himself in “Carolina”.

The Mingo trade is an indication that general manager and president of football operations Dan Morgan is trying to move on from the underperforming players brought in by his predecessor, Scott Fitterer. This is a clear sign that the front office is doing its best to establish its own culture and viability when it comes to building its roster.

Unfortunately, Mingo was one of Fitterer's worst-performing investments. According to the 33rd team, he averaged 0.75 yards per route run – which is last (526th of 526) among wide receivers since 2000.

Morgan's renewed vision will apparently include rookie wide receivers Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, both of whom had overtaken Mingo in the pecking order. The former has scored four touchdowns in the last six weeks, while the latter has proven to be a reliable and versatile option.

Now the Panthers can continue to concentrate on the development of the talented young players. In addition to Legette and Coker, the organization should get more insight into quarterback Bryce Young and rookie running back Jonathon Brooks in the remaining weeks of the 2024 season.

The process continues.

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: What the Jonathan Mingo trade means for the Panthers