Who Should I Start? James Mitchell or Robbie Ouzts

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.

Sunday, May 4, 1:08 PM

The Seattle Seahawks are converting rookie fifth-round tight end Robbie Ouzts to a 274-pound fullback as part of their vision for a more physical running game under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, according to ESPN's Brady Henderson. Ouzts will be competing with Brady Russell, who is also making the transition from tight end to fullback this offseason. He worked mostly as a blocker during his four-year college career at Alabama, so it should be a pretty natural transition for Ouzts in Seattle. Ouzts obviously won't be on the fantasy radar at all as a blocker if he's on the field regularly, but this news is good news for the Seahawks' ground attack and starting running back Kenneth Walker III and backup Zach Charbonnet. In 17 games last year, Seattle averaged just 95.7 rushing yards per game, which ranked as the fifth-fewest in the NFL.