The Dallas Cowboys are searching for answers after the team’s 1-2 start, and things went from bad to worse with CeeDee Lamb expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future. ESPN’s Todd Archer reported that Lamb is expected to miss three to four weeks with a high ankle sprain.

“Pro Bowl wide receiver CeeDee Lamb could miss 3-4 weeks with a high left ankle sprain suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears, according to a source,” Archer detailed in a September 22, 2025, message on X.

Lamb had indicated after the Cowboys’ loss to the Chicago Bears that he planned to play against the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. Now, it appears Lamb is in danger of missing the next month of the season.

With Lamb sidelined, it may be time for the Cowboys to explore potential trades to add a playmaker. Find out why the Carolina Panthers could once again be a potential trade partner.

Last November, the Cowboys acquired Panthers wideout Jonathan Mingo. Unfortunately, Mingo has been unable to make a significant impact on Dallas’ offense.

Through the first three games, Mingo has yet to record a reception for the Cowboys in 2025. One of Mingo’s former teammates could make some sense for Dallas.

Ahead of Week 3, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox listed Panthers wide receiver Xavier Legette among the top 10 potential NFL trade candidates.

The former first-round pick has yet to live up to his potential with the Panthers. Carolina also just selected wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Dallas will lean on George Pickens in Lamb’s absence. It remains to be seen if the Cowboys will make an additional move for a wideout, but Legette could make some sense in Big D. The wideout’s four-year, $12.3 million rookie contract is slated to go through the 2027 season.

What would Legette cost the Cowboys in a potential trade? Bleacher Report projects Legette’s trade value as a conditional third-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

“Legette had his fair share of rookie struggles, but they weren’t particularly alarming,” Knox wrote in a September 15, story titled, “2025 NFL Trade Block Big Board Entering Week 3.” “Plenty of first-year receivers have experienced growing pains, and Carolina’s offense wasn’t particularly good for most of the year. However, Legette has looked even worse through the first two weeks of his sophomore campaign.

“… Adding Legette would be a risk-reward move that could make a lot of sense for teams with questionable receiver depth. A third-round pick that could become a second based on statistical production would be a fair asking price for Carolina.”

The Panthers selected Legette with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Legette is in his second season with the Panthers and has 53 receptions for 505 yards and four touchdowns during his time in Carolina.

The playmaker posted 71 receptions for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns during his final college football season at South Carolina in 2023. Here’s how NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein described Legette’s scouting report heading into the 2024 draft.

“His star shines brightest once the ball goes up and he’s able to use his body control, play strength and ball skills to impose his will on the coverage,” Zierlein noted in his pre-draft profile of Legette. “He’s unlikely to become a smooth route runner, but he can handle tough catches and he has stealth acceleration that makes him a credible deep-ball threat.

“Add toughness as a runner and run blocker to his profile of competitiveness and he becomes a Day 2 talent with the potential to develop into a starter.”

Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports contributor covering the NFL, NBA and golf for Heavy.com. His work has been prominently featured on NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. More about Jonathan Adams