The Carolina Panthers recently discarded an experienced 6-foot-4 tight end from their roster ahead of Week 1 of the NFL season.
The Dallas Cowboys opted to be the beneficiary.
On Thursday, the NFL’s official transaction report showed that the Cowboys signed TE James Mitchell to their practice squad.
The Panthers had waived Mitchell after the conclusion of the preseason, and now he has found himself a new team.
Who Is James Mitchell?
Mitchell is a 27-year old tight end originally from Virginia.
His mother was a college basketball player at Brown University, passing on some strong athletic genes to Mitchell.
Out of high school, Mitchell chose to stay near home and play at Virginia Tech, where he turned into a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Mitchell began his career with three seasons with the Detroit Lions. He had 13 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown during his time there.
He spent the 2025 season with the Panthers, working his way into five regular season games. For Carolina, Mitchell caught three passes for 28 yards.
He then stuck around for this preseason before the Panthers opted not to move forward with Mitchell.
Panthers TE Depth Chart
Carolina is more than set at tight end at the moment.
They’ve got Tommy Tremble and Ja’Tavion Sanders as two returning stalwarts at the position.
They also return Mitchell Evans, who was a fifth-round pick last year.
The Panthers picked up the veteran Darren Waller this offseason, too, to see what he has left in the tank.
They even have former college quarterback Feleipe Franks, who is now a tight end, still in the building.
That’s plenty of depth, making it clear that they didn’t necessarily need Mitchell anymore.
The Panthers open the season on Sunday, Sept. 13 at home against the Chicago Bears.
Cowboys TE Depth Chart
The Cowboys have established tight ends but less depth behind them, which explains why they brought in Mitchell.
The top-three spots on their depth chart remain the same from a season ago.
Jake Ferguson is the unquestioned TE1.
Behind him are two intriguing athletes, Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford. They will likely join Ferguson each week on the active gameday roster.
Dallas now has two tight ends on the practice squad, too. Michael Trigg was already a part of that group, and now Mitchell joins.
Mitchell has proven to be a big target in his career, and the fact that he has real NFL game experience has to be an encouraging trait for Dallas to find this soon before Week 1.
The Cowboys open the season on the road in Week 1 in primetime. They’ll play on Sunday night, Sept. 13 at the division rival New York Giants.
Panthers Lose 6-Foot-4 TE to Cowboys