It seems counter-intuitive to say this about an undrafted rookie running back from East Carolina, but had Keaton Mitchell not suffered a torn ACL last December, the Ravens’ postseason might have gone differently, and in a more favorable fashion. We all remember Baltimore’s inexplicable decision to give their running backs just six carries in the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs’ vulnerable run defense, but had Mitchell been good to go, I doubt offensive coordinator Todd Monken would have taken the same tack.
Because when you have a back who averages 8.4 yards per carry, forces 15 missed tackles, and has seven runs of 15+ yards on just 47 carries, that’s a guy you want to deploy in the most important moments. The addition of Derrick Henry in free agency should give the Ravens a highly interesting one-two punch when Mitchell is able to return from his recovery.
The Ravens had a rushing EPA of 0.23 with Keaton Mitchell on the field last season. Without the rookie, that dropped to -0.03. With Mitchell, serious upswings in yards, yards after contact, and opponent blown tackles per attempt. Hopefully, the torn ACL won't be a thing in 2024. pic.twitter.com/3mwounzRgP
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) May 23, 2024
