Carolina Panthers preparing secret weapon for Bryce Young
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WR Hunter Renfrow will be the 'secret weapon' for the Carolina Panthers this season.
All the preseason gamesare finished, training camp is over, and the only thing left now is to evaluate what the players have put on film over the last few months and see who makes the final 53-man roster. For some, their positions are secure, and for others, they are hoping their phonedoesn’t ring, and theyare asked to hand in their playbook. Carolina Panthers tight end James Mitchell is one of those players.
Mitchell is in his fourth yearin the NFL after being drafted by the Detroit Lions out of Virginia Tech. Over his first four years in the league, Mitchell has carved chiefly out a role for himself on special teams. Mitchell only has one receiving touchdown in his career. On the Panthers, Mitchell is trying to show he has what it takes to be a reliable tight end as well.
Solid Training Camp
“Solid”is the word you would use to describe the training camp that Mitchell has had with the Panthers. Being dependable is a desirable trait for a second or third-string tight end, who will need to do the dirty work blocking and must make the most of their targets.
Kassidy Hill ofPanthers.com, in her August 22 article, discussed the type of camp Mitchell had been having. “Mitchell has been a quiet force this camp, not making flashy plays, but making consistently positive ones,”Hill said.
Mitchell himself, in his fourth NFL training camp, has also felt that he has had a productive camp, as he told Hill.
“I feel likeI’ve had a really, really good camp, really solid camp,”Mitchell admitted. “There’s always something that I can get better at, always something I can do better, but you know my mind says just to attack every day.”
Mitchell made one final push for himself in thePanthers’ final preseason game.
Making a Good Final Impression
The final preseason game is manyplayers’ finalchance to prove they belong on an NFL roster, whether it is on their current team or another one. James Mitchell took his final opportunity against the Cleveland Browns and made the most of it.
Against the Browns, Mitchell reeled in a seven-yard touchdown reception from backup quarterback Jack Plummer. Panthers head coach Dave Canales came away impressed with Mitchell, as Kassidy Hill and Darin Gantt ofPanthers.com documented in their “5 takeaways from Dave Canales after preseason finale”article.
“Another guy who just did a great job representing himself and showing us thathe’s somebody we can count on,”Canales bragged of Mitchell on Friday. “SoI’m really excited that James did that and showed up not just in the pass game with a couple of flashes but the run game as well.”
Mitchell will also get a boost due to his previous experience in Detroit, as Canales discussed following thePanthers’ preseason finale.
“Just a really well-rounded playerwho’s got some experience, and he came from Detroit, wherethere’s some similar systems, similar run game, and different things like that, so he did a great job representing himself.”
Whether Mitchell makes the team outright or sticks around on the practice squad following final cuts,he’s put himself in a position where he is at least part of the conversation.