Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell looked like a sensation for six weeks in 2023, blasting off for 8.4 yards per carry on 47 totes, leaving defenders grasping at air. Then, a Week 14 gruesome knee injury wiped it all out.
Mitchell missed most of the 2024 season, playing a bit part down the stretch in the offense, taking 15 carries for 30 yards in the final two weeks of the regular season. Another year removed from the injury, the Ravens' speedster said he's not only back to his 2023 level but surpassed it.
"I feel like I'm back better than when I first got here," he said, via the team's official website. "It's going to be a movie for sure."
Mitchell said the team gave him extra time last year to ensure he was fully healthy before they got him back into the rotation. Coach John Harbaugh said he no longer sees the back favoring the injured leg.
"It looked like he had the speed and then just the ability to adjust and track," Harbaugh said. "Last year, probably, you could tell he was thinking through the knee [injury] a little bit it seemed like. I haven't seen any of that so far this spring, so it's good to see."
Mitchell said the injury adjusted his outlook on his career and made him appreciate the journey. The 23-year-old is ready to write an entirely new book on his career.
"I tell guys a lot that talk to me that I'm starting all over," Mitchell said. "They don't even know what I can do. I'm just starting all over again, proving what I can do and taking it day by day."
Derrick Henry remains the Ravens' alpha, and Justice Hill can provide the change of pace. Yet, Baltimore didn't add another back this offseason outside of undrafted free agency, which keeps the door open for Mitchell to earn a decent role behind Henry if he stays healthy and looks like the explosive back from 2023 again. If Mitchell's comments prove prophetic, he'd offer a different element to the Ravens' backfield than Henry and Hill.
