4 Carolina Panthers who could see reduced playing time in Week 6 vs. Falcons
By Luke Gray
Jonathan Mingo - Carolina Panthers WR
Another failed Scott Fitterer draft pick comes back to haunt the Carolina Panthers. Jonathan Mingo was always billed as a selection for the future, but as he now approaches the halfway mark of his second NFL season, we’ve seen little to suggest the former Ole Miss wide receiver was worthy of a top-40 choice in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Mingo had two receptions for 37 receiving yards in Week 5 at the Chicago Bears, which finally took him above 100 yards for the season. He is still yet to find the end zone in his NFL career and his route running has shown little signs of improvement after well-reported struggles with this during his rookie campaign.
While it seems the wideout room received a boost following the insertion of veteran quarterback Andy Dalton into the lineup, that hasn’t extended to Mingo. It seems with Adam Thielen still on injured reserve, the pass-catcher has been unseated by rookie Xavier Legette as WR2 on the depth chart. With the former South Carolina star picked No. 32 overall this year expected to play after leaving Sunday's game with a shoulder injury, expect this trend to continue.
Another player who could soon overtake the former second-round pick on the depth chart is an undrafted free agent. There was much fanfare among the team's long-suffering support when they signed Jalen Coker this offseason. He didn't do enough to make the 53-man roster initially, but injuries meant he found his way back onto the active roster.
Coker made a lasting impression against the Bears, albeit in garbage time. This won't have gone unnoticed by the coaching staff, who need to hang their hat on those who prove reliable in the passing game in pursuit of Carolina getting out of its current slump.
If that comes at the expense of Mingo, so be it.