Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Cowboys WR Jonathan Mingo Sidelined With PCL Injury, Set to Start Season on Injured Reserve

Dallas WR Jonathan Mingo suffers a sprained PCL, placing him on injured reserve in 2025.

Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys have been hit with a setback just weeks before the 2025 NFL season kicks off. Wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, who was vying for a spot in the team’s starting rotation, is expected to miss four to six weeks after suffering a sprained posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in his right knee. The injury occurred during a 49-yard reception against the Baltimore Ravens on August 16, and follow-up tests confirmed the diagnosis. While Mingo will avoid surgery, he is expected to start the season on injured reserve and miss at least the first four games.

Cowboys wide receiver Jonathan Mingo is likely to start the season on injured reserve because of a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee suffered in last week's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Story via @toddarcher;https://t.co/RYQaXsH0it
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 19, 2025

Mingo’s Roadblock Amidst Injury Concerns

The Cowboys’ revamped offense, already battling health concerns along the offensive line, now faces its first major blow at wide receiver. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Mingo will not require surgery, but the recovery timeline is murky, estimated at four to six weeks “if not longer.”

“Mingo, who the Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for at last year’s trade deadline, now could start the season on injured reserve and miss the team’s first four games,” DallasCowboys.com’s Tommy Yarrish reported.

He will not require surgery. https://t.co/IcxQ2ZWyam
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) August 18, 2025

Mingo entered Dallas with high expectations after being selected 39th overall by the Carolina Panthers in the 2023 NFL Draft. Once viewed as a physical, high-upside prospect out of Ole Miss, Mingo has struggled to establish himself in the Cowboys’ offense. After appearing in eight games post-trade last season, he recorded just five receptions for 46 yards. 2025 was supposed to be his reset year but the knee injury puts that growth on pause.

Opportunities Open for Young Receivers

The timing of Mingo’s setback could reshuffle the Cowboys’ receiver depth chart. With CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens locked into starting roles, the battle for the WR spot now intensifies. Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin are natural next men up, but undrafted rookie Traeshon Holden is quickly becoming a name to watch.

“Traeshon’s done that every day in practice, literally every day there’s been one or two big plays,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said earlier this month. “And when you do that, you get noticed. And when you do that, you get more opportunities and I’m just proud of him.”

A dozen pack of nuggets from today’s Brian Schottenheimer presser:

– Did not like the team’s physicality from the Ravens preseason game
– Jonathan Mingo is still going thru tests on injured PCL, but it “shouldn’t be too serious”
– Says team should have run the ball better… pic.twitter.com/aYvKROnd7h
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) August 18, 2025

The Cowboys will also be keeping an eye on other pressing issues, including Trevon Diggs’ uncertain Week 1 status and the ongoing trade drama surrounding Micah Parsons. With roster questions mounting, Mingo’s absence adds another layer of concern to a team looking to stabilize before the regular season opener.

Mandatory Image Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

2025

Dallas Cowboys

Jonathan Mingo

Rudra Dubey

nfl

mma

I’m an academic turned sports writer from Raipur, India, specializing in the NFL, MMA, and tennis at The Playoffs. I previously wrote for Sportskeeda and hold a B.A. and M.A. in History. My journey into sports media began far from the field, rooted in the arts and sciences. Funny enough, I didn’t grow up a sports fan; I used to see it all as just noise. But a fateful writing job introduced me to the world of sports, and what began as a gig quickly became a passion. I understood those voices aren’t noise; they’re emotions of true sports fans, and now I am one of them, writing with the same energy I once questioned.