The Baltimore Ravens are armed with arguably the best rushing attack in the NFL. With Derrick Henry bulldozing opposing defenses at running back, and Lamar Jackson adding another element to their offense as a runner at the quarterback position, the Ravens offense is tough to slow down when they are firing on all cylinders. Lurking behind these guys is Keaton Mitchell, who spent most of the 2024 campaign recovering from a torn ACL.
Mitchell latched on with Baltimore in 2023 as an undrafted free agent, and he ended up making an immediate impact when he found his way onto the field. He suffered a torn ACL during the team’s Week 15 clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars, though, which held him out for the majority of the 2024 season. Now, he’s ready to make a big return for the Ravens, even if he may be flying under the radar in the eyes of many fans.
Keaton Mitchell’s Encouraging Injury Update Will Excite Ravens Fans
Mitchell emerged from seemingly out of nowhere to become an explosive playmaker out of the backfield for a Ravens team that did not have Henry at their disposal in 2023. In eight games, Mitchell racked up 396 yards and two touchdowns on just 47 carries, which was good for a staggering 8.4 yards per carry. Had it not been for his ACL injury, he very well may have ended up becoming the team’s lead running back.
Instead, he missed a big chunk of the season, and Henry joined Baltimore, forming an elite tandem with Jackson under center. Mitchell played in five games last season, but he struggled to make any sort of an impact, as he picked up just 30 yards on his 15 carries. With Henry getting most of the carries, and Justice Hill operating as the third-down back, there wasn’t much of an opportunity for Mitchell.
The Ravens also likely wanted to be cautious with Mitchell considering he was returning from a serious injury. So even with Henry, Jackson, and Hill still in place, there could be more of an opportunity for him to get sprinkled into the game plan in 2025. According to Mitchell himself, he’s feeling great ahead of the new season, meaning Baltimore may have another weapon at their disposal on offense.
“I feel like I’m back better than when I first got here,” Mitchell recently declared. “It’s going to be a movie for sure.”
Ravens Looking to Find Their Way to the Super Bowl in 2025
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Keaton Mitchell of the Baltimore Ravens.
Mitchell may not be the biggest piece of the puzzle for Baltimore, but you can never have too many playmakers on offense. With Henry getting older, the Ravens may want to lighten his load to keep him fresh for a potential deep playoff run, which could make the explosive Mitchell the perfect change of pace back who can give him some rest on a weekly basis.
When Baltimore puts everything together, they look like the most dangerous team in the league. They need to find a way to translate that success to the postseason, though, as they have simply come up short too many times in recent seasons. Tapping into Mitchell’s potential now that he’s healthy again could be a sneaky development for the Ravens this season, and it will be worth keeping tabs on him to see if he can carve out a role for himself on offense.
