Rollercoaster of a Career Continues for 2023 Ravens UDFA

If there is one player on the Baltimore Ravens who has had the most rollercoaster of a career, it would be RB Keaton Mitchell. Undrafted after the 2023 NFL Draft out of East Carolina, the Ravens signed Mitchell to be a depth role ball carrier behind J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill. Mitchell was already facing an uphill battle as RB4 in a loaded offense with a dual-threat QB in Lamar Jackson, but was able to find a way to shine and earn more snaps. Mitchell started his rookie season on IR, later suiting up in his first game in Week Six, earning no snaps. Week Seven was more of the same, returning one kick for nine yards and making a few special teams tackles. Week Eight began his breakout.

J.K. Dobbins was ruled out for the season after rupturing his Achilles in a Week One win over Houston, leaving Edwards, Hill, and Mitchell as the RBs in Baltimore. With a 7-0 lead in the second quarter, Mitchell was given some snaps, where he took advantage with four carries for almost 40 yards. Edwards punched the ball in for his second score, finishing Mitchell’s impressive drive, bringing the score to 14-0, and eventually 17-3 by the end of the half. Mitchell’s next two touches came in the third quarter, both for negative yardage, but the drive still ended with a Baltimore field goal. On the next drive, Mitchell would rush for five yards and follow that with a 40-yard touchdown, bringing his rushing total to 78 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries. When Seattle turned the ball over on downs, the Ravens were ahead 30-3 in the fourth quarter, warranting the benching of starters, giving Mitchell more snaps. The first play of the drive was a Mitchell handoff, but it went nowhere. However, on the second play, Mitchell took a shotgun pitch from backup QB Tyler Huntley, where he found the gap, broke a few tackles, and used his speed to get down inside the red zone for a 60-yard gain. The play would have been a touchdown if Nelson Agholor had blocked better, but the drive still ended in another touchdown. The Ravens would chew the entire rest of the clock on their ensuing drive. Mitchell wowed fans, posting nine carries for 138 yards and a touchdown, earning himself the FedEx Ground Player of the Week.

Having a career week against Seattle, Mitchell earned himself more snaps that were not in garbage time. In Week Nine, Mitchell had three carries for 31 yards and another touchdown. In Weeks 10-15, Mitchell recorded eight or nine carries a game, averaging more than four yards a carry. That was until he obliterated his knee in the Week 15 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. In a recent podcast interview with the Ravens media team, Mitchell showed the gnarly scars of what he was told was a career-ending injury. “Everybody thinks it was the ACL, it was my ACL, LCL, PCL, hamstring… eventually I knew I was going to get back to myself, and now I’m back.” Mitchell missed the last three games of 2023 and the first nine games of 2024. Unfortunately, when he came back, Dobbins and Edwards were gone, but the void was filled by future Hall of Fame RB Derrick Henry, who signed with the Ravens in the 2024 offseason.

Suiting up for only five games in 2024, Mitchell took offensive carries in the final two, where in Week 17, the Ravens blew out the Texans on Christmas 31-2 and then easily defeated the Browns 35-10 in Week 18. In those two games, Mitchell had 15 carries for 30 yards and one reception for 28 yards. His rehab process was undoubtedly grueling, especially after such a gruesome injury, and despite having a long-awaited return to the field, it was disappointing. For 2025, the RB room stayed the same with Henry, Hill, Mitchell, and 2024 rookie Rasheen Ali. However, the Ravens did recently sign former Browns and Jags RB D’Ernest Johnson and former Dolphins RB Myles Gaskin. Still, I would assume it is only for preseason purposes as the Ravens look to rest Henry, Hill, and Mitchell as much as possible.

In the Ravens’ first preseason game of 2025, Mitchell showed glimpses of his 2023 rookie campaign. Mitchell had five carries for 53 yards, including two runs of more than 20 yards, one of which was a touchdown. Mitchell would only have a few more carries as his day was over early in the second quarter, finishing with nine carries for 68 yards and a touchdown. A lot of the rushing success from the preseason win over the Colts could be attributed to the run scheme and hard work in the trenches by the Ravens' linemen. However, Mitchell was showing great bursts of speed and confidence, hitting the open holes and not shying away from the big hit awaiting him from defensive players looking to make the final roster for the Colts. Mitchell’s change of direction and elusiveness are something the Ravens may need in their offense when Derrick Henry comes out for a play or two.

Keaton Mitchell’s journey has been a rollercoaster. Starting as an UDFA, averaging over eight yards per carry in his eight-game rookie campaign, which was cut short due to a career-ending injury, to returning and being severely underwhelming, then shining in the first game of preseason. Even if Mitchell were to continue shining throughout the final two exhibition games, he faces an extremely large roadblock to being a starter: Derrick Henry and Justice Hill. All three players have their distinguishable positive traits, but unfortunately for Mitchell, there is no world where he earns the start over a healthy King Henry. For now, Mitchell will be used primarily in the return game and potentially as a change-of-pace RB during close games and the primary in garbage time.