Ravens RB Has Special Trait

Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell is finally back at full strength after his devastating knee injury in December of 2023, but for him to contribute in a loaded backfield, he'll need to do something to set himself apart.

Derrick Henry is obviously the bell cow, having just rushed for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns in his first season with the Ravens. On the other hand, Justice Hill emerged as an excellent third-down back who can catch passes out of the backfield and block when needed.

So, how does Mitchell stand out compared to those two? According to head coach John Harbaugh, the answer is versatility.

"I think Keaton, he's a versatile guy," Harbaugh told reporters Friday. "He's obviously [got] speed and I know that we saw this before in his rookie year, but he can catch the ball. He can run routes, and he's dangerous. You saw him on a couple of different kind of routes out there. He can really go. Yesterday, Roquan [Smith] made a crazy good play covering him, which was kind of shocking, actually, in the sense of you think that's a mismatch, and Roquan made a great play, but you could see our running backs are challenging those guys."

Mitchell, a former undrafted free agent out of East Carolina, is most known for his speed, as he ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the combine and averaged over eight yards per carrry as a rookie in 2023. He hasn't been too active in the passing game, catching just 10 passes for 121 yards over his two seasons, but he could easily make an impact with his blazing speed.

Granted, that would overlap with Hill's role to an extent, but there's still room to differentiate. Hill could be more of a short-yardage receiver, whereas Mitchell could be the home-run threat.

With three quality backs, the Ravens would be wise to use them all to their fullest potential.