Bristol Herald Courier
James Mitchell and Jordan Stout will officially begin their fourth seasons in the National Football League on Sept. 7.
Mitchell made the opening-week, 53-man roster for the Carolina Panthers, while Stout is the starting punter for the Baltimore Ravens as final spots were finalized on Tuesday.
A Union High School graduate who is a tight end, Mitchell appeared in 30 games over the previous three seasons with the Detroit Lions before signing with Carolina in January.
He had four catches for 32 yards and a touchdown in three preseason games for the Panthers.
“I feel like I’ve had a really, really good camp, really solid camp,” Mitchell told Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com following his final preseason game. "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. … 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.”
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Stout, a Honaker High School graduate, will enter his fourth season as the punter for the Ravens. That’s the team that selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Penn State University.
Stout has averaged 46.8 yards on 178 punts in 51 regular-season games over his first three pro seasons. He has also served as the holder on extra-point kicks and field goals.
Stout and Mitchell were teammates for one season with the Virginia Tech Hokies in 2018.
Meanwhile, tight end/fullback Nate Adkins made Denver’s roster despite not playing in the preseason due to ankle injury.
Adkins played four seasons at East Tennessee State University prior to finishing his collegiate career at South Carolina. The Knoxville, Tennessee; native has three career regular-season touchdowns in three seasons for the Broncos.
Ex-ETSU running back Jacob Saylors was waived by the Detroit Lions despite leading the team in rushing yards during the preseason. While he has been one of the top players in the United Football League for the St. Louis Battlehawks, he has failed to appear in a regular-season game in stints with Cincinnati, Atlanta, the New York Giants, Cleveland and Detroit.
New England Patriots cornerbacks coach Justin Hamilton
The Associated Press
When the New England Patriots open the season on Sept. 7 at home against the Las Vegas Raiders, Justin Hamilton (Clintwood) will be there as he’s in his first season coaching cornerbacks for the team.
Hamilton is not the only dude from Southwest Virginia who holds a job with the franchise as former Lebanon High School multi-sport athlete Ryan Cowden is in his first season in New England’s front office.