Who Should I Start? James Mitchell or John FitzPatrick

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.

Tuesday, April 15, 7:32 PM

Free agent tight end John FitzPatrick has re-signed with the Green Bay Packers on an undisclosed contract, according to the team. The former Georgia Bulldog will serve his second stint with the squad after kicking off his career with the Atlanta Falcons for two seasons. FitzPatrick has appeared in 18 games over the prior two seasons but has only caught two passes for 14 yards on two targets. He has yet to garner a start and logged just 91 snaps across both campaigns on offense. However, he also played a good chunk of special teams snaps. The 25-year-old is unlikely to make an impact on the field this year, with fellow tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft dominating playing time. FitzPatrick will provide Green Bay with more depth in 2025.