The Ravens have added some young upside to the running back position ahead of Sunday’s game against Tennessee in London.
After beginning the regular season on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, undrafted rookie Keaton Mitchell has been activated to the 53-man roster and is expected to make his NFL debut against the Titans. The speedy Mitchell is the son of former Ravens safety and Super Bowl XXXV champion Anthony Mitchell and made the initial 53-man roster with an impressive training camp and preseason.
Baltimore had an open roster spot and did not need to make a corresponding move.
In two preseason games, the 5-foot-8, 191-pound Mitchell rushed for 42 yards on seven carries and caught two passes for 15 yards. Over 33 games in three seasons at East Carolina, Mitchell rushed for 3,027 yards and 25 touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
“He’s got elite speed. He does have that, so getting him to the edge, he has quickness about him,” offensive coordinator Todd Monken said in August. “He can possibly be a matchup player, but he works awfully hard. He’s diligent in the meeting room, taking good notes, asking good questions. If he doesn’t know, he’ll let you know.”
Since losing starter J.K. Dobbins to a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 1, the Ravens have been looking for a third option to complement Gus Edwards and Justice Hill in the game-day rotation, taking looks at veteran practice-squad running backs Melvin Gordon and Kenyan Drake over the last four games.
Baltimore ranks fourth in the NFL in rushing yards per game (146.0), ninth in yards per carry (4.5), and second in rushing DVOA, but star quarterback Lamar Jackson is leading the team in rushing for the fifth straight season.
