Who Should I Start? James Mitchell or Brady Russell

Tuesday, January 21, 10:17 PM

The Carolina Panthers announced on Tuesday that they signed free-agent tight end James Mitchell and outside linebacker Boogie Basham to Reserve/Futures deals. Mitchell was a former fifth-round selection by the Detroit Lions in 2022 out of Virginia Tech. He was with the Lions on their practice squad in 2024 and will now try to make Carolina's active 53-man roster for the 2025 season. In 30 games over three seasons in the NFL, he has only recorded 13 catches for 141 yards and one touchdown in Detroit. Basham, meanwhile, was a second-round selection by the Buffalo Bills in 2021 out of Wake Forest. He'll reunite with general manager Dan Morgan, who was in Buffalo's front office when he was drafted. In 40 games over his four years in the NFL, Basham has 4.5 sacks. He was traded to the New York Giants in 2023.

Thursday, April 10, 12:19 AM

Exclusive-rights free-agent tight end Brady Russell officially signed his tender on Wednesday to return to the Seattle Seahawks for the 2025 season, according to Seahawks.com's John Boyle. Russell will return for his third year with the team after not catching any passes as a tight end in his first two years with the team. Instead, the 26-year-old has appeared exclusively on special teams and has recorded 17 tackles (11 solo) in 26 games played (zero starts) since debuting in 2023. Russell originally went undrafted out of the University of Colorado before latching on with the Seahawks. He will continue to serve as more of a special-teams asset for Seattle heading into training camp this summer. Russel is nowhere near the fantasy radar.