Ravens RB Named Prime Breakout Candidate

A year and a half after his devastating knee injury, Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell is looking to prove he can still be the player who briefly took the city by storm as a rookie.

Mitchell, 23, signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and surprisingly made the 53-man roster out of training camp. He only played in eight games, but made the most of his chances as he rushed for 396 yards and two touchdowns. Most impressively, he averaged 8.4 yards per attempt, one of the best averages for any player that season.

Unfortunately, he suffered a torn ACL in Week 15 of the 2023 season, which not only cut his rookie campaign short, but took a significant chunk out of his 2024 campaign as well. Once he returned halfway through the season, he only appeared in five games and on 36 offensive snaps.

Now, though, it looks like Mitchell is back at full strength and ready to be a core contributor on offense. CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan named Mitchell as the Ravens' top player who could make a surprising impact this season.

"For a six-week stretch during the 2023 season, Mitchell was a lightning rod. The back averaged 8.4 yards per rush and 10.3 yards per reception," Sullivan wrote. "However, that run ended when he suffered a torn ACL that also put a dent in his 2024 campaign."

"Now, Mitchell is back healthy and noted recently that he feels 'like I'm back better than when I first got' to Baltimore. Of course, Derrick Henry will carry the bulk of the work out of the Ravens backfield, but Mitchell could prove to be a change-of-pace option with home run ability for what is already one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL."

Snaps in the backfield will be tough to come by with Henry being the bellcow and Justice Hill emerging as a strong third-down back. If Mitchell is in as good of shape as he believes he is, however, then it will be hard for the Ravens to keep their home-run threat on the bench.

"I feel like I'm back better than when I first got here," Mitchell told reporters last week. "It's going to be a movie for sure."