John Harbaugh reveals update on RB Keaton Mitchell’s ACL recovery and timeline

The 2023 undrafted sensation is “on schedule, maybe ahead of schedule.”

After running back Keaton Mitchell was spotted exiting the field during Tuesday’s media viewed organized team activities, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was asked about the status of the second-year pro who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered this past December.

“It’s not a come back during training camp or first game type of thing,” Harbaugh said. “I think we all know that. It’s sometime during the season. It’s not like right around the corner. We shouldn’t be biting our fingernails, [wondering] is he going to get back. But I will say he’s on schedule, maybe ahead of schedule. He’s doing really well. He’s always got a smile on his face. He’s going to start jogging on the Alter-G [treadmill] next week. So that’s a positive thing and we’ll see where it goes.”

Despite running one of the fastest 40-yard dash times at time at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine (4.37 seconds) following a collegiate career where he was one of the most explosive playmakers in the country at East Carolina University, Mitchell somehow managed to go undrafted last year. The Ravens pounced on the opportunity to bring in the son of former special teams ace and Super Bowl 35 champion Anthony Mitchell as an undrafted free agent and he turned out to be one of their best gems in recent memory.

After showing out in training camp and the preseason, Mitchell was one of two undrafted rookies to make the initial 53-man roster in 2023 before being placed on injured reserve for the first four weeks of the season. It wasn’t until Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks that he was finally able to burst onto the scene but after his 138-yard and a score on just nine carries breakout performance, the entire league was made aware of what they missed out on and could’ve had at any point in last year’s draft.

Mitchell went on to record at least one play from scrimmage of 20-plus yards in each of his next five games including the fateful night down in Duval County when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Ravens’ 23-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 15. He ended his electric rookie year with 396 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 47 carries for an average of 8.4 yards per carry and caught nine passes on 11 targets for 93 receiving yards with an average of 10.3 yards per catch.

The Ravens still finished the season as the top-ranked rushing offense in the league and proved they were capable of running the ball well after he went down but their ground game just wasn’t the same without him down the stretch and into the playoffs. The explosive home-run element he provided on any given play was missed and might’ve been able to turn the tide in the AFC title game had he been available as a runner or check-down option out of the backfield.

Nevertheless, the offseason additions of Henry, who is a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time rushing champion, and fifth-round rookie Rasheen Ali who was an explosive playmaker in his own right in college at Marshall University, both reinforced and upgraded the Ravens’ backfield. Not only can the team take their time bringing Mitchell along cautiously, but when he does return to action, he’ll be yet another dangerous weapon dropped into an already loaded arsenal and could be an X-factor in the second half of the 2024 season as well as the playoff.