Panthers wide receiver makes sense as an easy Chiefs trade target

On Sunday, the Carolina Panthers actually won a game.

Get this: not only did the Panthers win a rare game—only their second of the season— but they did so with a solid offensive performance. Even more amazingly, this comes after trading away Diontae Johnson and without injured wide receiver Adam Thielen. The cherry on top: they had Bryce Young back under center after benching him for Andy Dalton earlier this year.

With those pieces in place, you might think the young offense came together to also include a young wideout by the name of Jonathan Mingo for the Panthers. After all, without Thielen or Johnson, the passing attack needed someone to step up and as a second-year wideout, it's the ideal time for Mingo to seize that opportunity.

Unfortunately, such hopes are unfounded. Mingo is so far in the Panthers' doghouse that even without the team's top wide receivers coming into the year, he still can't find his way into the team's game plan in any capacity.

If you're wondering whether the Panthers are ready to trade away Mingo, just look at his usage. He's a healthy 23-year-old wide receiver who was a top-40 draft pick a year ago in a loaded wide receiver class. Instead of featuring him, however, the Panthers have benched him for the last few weeks in a not-so-clear attempt to prove something to someone—we're just not sure what that is.

On Sunday, the Panthers beat the New Orleans Saints in a close 23-22 battle in which Mingo earned 1 target and failed to catch it. During his previous three games, he'd earned only 4 targets and caught only one pass, which means he has exactly 1 catch for 1 yard in his last 1 month in the NFL.

It wasn't that long ago that the Panthers front office decided to invest the No. 39 overall pick in Mingo during the 2023 NFL Draft. While Dan Morgan was not the general manager then, he was the assistant GM, so it seems odd that the team would sour on someone so quickly when those still in the building are the ones who made the investment—or at least some of them.

Given the clear lack of playing time or even interest in using him in any capacity, Mingo seems like an easy get for any team on the outside still looking for a wide receiver. And according to Dianna Russini, NFL insider for The Athletic, that describes the Kansas City Chiefs these days.

Per Russini, the Chiefs are hungry for another wideout even after trading for DeAndre Hopkins and that's due to the number of injuries at the position. Skyy Moore was the latest player lost for several weeks and that comes after JuJu Smith-Schuster's hamstring injury along with season-ending injuries to Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice. Hopkins' addition helps but another healthy player would ease the burden for the stretch run.

Enter Mingo, who would be a no-risk flyer for a potentially high-ceiling player. Mingo had 43 catches for 418 yards, so at the very least he's proven to be more productive than Moore. He entered the league as an enticing mix of size and athleticism, but he's yet to really put it all together in the pros. Then again, we're talking about the Panthers offense—the sort of dumpster fire that costs people their jobs.

With Kansas City, Mingo could serve as ideal insurance in the slot for Smith-Schuster's current role and Rashee Rice's eventual suspension. He's also around for a few more years as a cost-controlled asset who could give the Chiefs an intriguing new young player to mold going forward. And, again, if it doesn't work out, it's hard to believe the Chiefs would have forked over much of anything in the first place.

While Mingo's price tag was an early second-rounder a year ago, the Panthers aren't even remotely interested in showcasing him for others or developing him for their own use. That should keep a cost low and it provides the Chiefs with an asset for the short- and long-term that fits the club's needs.