As Keaton Mitchell continues to rehab from a torn ACL, the Ravens are playing it slow with their second-year running back. According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, the Ravens have placed Mitchell on the active/physically unable to perform list.
As Ryan Mink of the team’s website notes, assuming Mitchell remains on PUP throughout training camp, he’ll automatically move straight to the reserve/PUP list. This would require him to miss the first four games of the 2024 season, but that always seemed to be a likely scenario. Mitchell will only be eight months removed from his injury by the team Week 1 comes around.
John Harbaugh hinted back in May that Mitchell would likely miss the start of the season, but the head coach expressed optimism in the player’s recovery.
“But I will say he’s on schedule, maybe ahead of schedule. He’s doing really well,” Harbaugh said (via Mink). “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.”
Mitchell was a notable member of Baltimore’s RB carousel in 2024. The UDFA started his career on IR but finally made his debut in October. Between Week 9 and Week 14, the rookie collected 480 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Mitchell finished his first season with an eye-popping 8.4 yards per carry. A torn ACL ended his season in December.
When Mitchell returns to the field, the running backs room will look a bit different. Derrick Henry was brought in this offseason to replace the likes of Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins. Justice Hill joins Mitchell as one of the team’s RB holdovers, and that duo could compete for RB2 reps when everyone is healthy.
Zrebiec reports that the Ravens also placed cornerback T.J. Tampa on PUP and linebacker Adisa Isaac on NFI. Per Mink, Isaac has been dealing with a hamstring injury that forced him to miss minicamp and OTAs. His placement on the non-football injury list certainly raises some eyebrows, but the details of the linebacker’s injury are unknown. Tampa’s injury hasn’t been reported.