James Mitchell scored his first touchdown of the preseason during Thursday night’s game, providing the Carolina Panthers with their only trip to the end zone in the matchup. Mitchell described how the play developed, noting he had not yet seen a replay and was surprised by how open he became.
“Honestly, I’m going to have to see the film because all I know is I turned around and the ball was in the air,” Mitchell said.
He added that even in practice, he rarely found himself with so much space. “Oh, you’d like to think so,” laughed Mitchell, “but, actually, probably not.”
After viewing a clip of his touchdown and seeing no defenders nearby, Mitchell explained how the play unfolded: “I just had a corner route and that scenario in the red zone, you know, we have a break point and aiming point when we get in the end zone, and Jack Plummer did a great job of putting the ball exactly where it needed to be and I was able to get to that spot and it worked out perfectly,” he explained.
Mitchell joined Carolina after three seasons with the Detroit Lions. He played 30 games there with one start and recorded 13 receptions for 141 yards and one touchdown. During this training camp with Carolina—his fourth overall—Mitchell has provided experience while tight end Tommy Tremble recovered from back surgery.
“I feel like I’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 finished preseason play with four catches for 32 yards and one touchdown. With Tremble now returning from injury, it remains uncertain if Mitchell will retain his roster spot.
Reflecting on his opportunity with Carolina after leaving Detroit, Mitchell said: “I was blessed with a new opportunity here after being in Detroit, so I haven’t taken that for granted. Every day I’ve been trying to just be the best I can, and if that’s not catching the ball, doing something to spark a run, or anything that they ask me to do.
“So you know with that mindset, just being competitive and taking coaching and being accountable, I think that’s where my plays have just shown up; just being in the right spot.”
