Who Should I Start? James Mitchell or Tucker Kraft

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.

Monday, January 27, 7:28 PM

Based on Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur's comments at the end of the regular season, tight end Tucker Kraft and the rest of the team's TEs could see more involvement on offense in 2025. "I think that's on us to make sure we find him and feature him because when he gets the ball in his hands, you feel him," LaFleur said. "So if there's an area that we gotta do a better job on, I would say featuring the tight end." Musgrave only played in seven games due to injury, while Ben Sims and John FitzPatrick aren't traditional pass-catching TEs. Kraft, 24, broke out in his second season with 50 catches on 70 targets for 707 yards and seven touchdowns. Even if Musgrave is a bigger part of the passing offense in 2025, Kraft could have an even bigger role as Green Bay looks to replace targets lost to receiver Christian Watson's (knee) torn ACL.