Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell made his long-awaited return in their 35-34 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football, though, he didn’t see much playing time.
Mitchell played just two snaps on offense and got the ball once against Cincinnati on a carry for no gain and the play was wiped out because of a penalty on the Bengals. He also played seven snaps on special teams and had one kickoff return for 30 yards in the third quarter.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh doesn’t envision things remaining that way as Mitchell works his way back from a torn ACL that he suffered on Dec. 17. Harbaugh noted that at some point, he hopes his team will have Mitchell getting touches out of the backfield alongside Derrick Henry and Justice Hill.
“Keaton [Mitchell] is a really good football player, so in that role as a running back, that’s got some special teams elements to it, for sure,” Harbaugh said on Monday. “Boy, I like the ball in his hands, so we had him back there in kickoff return. I’m sure he’ll be on some other phases, but really, we’ll start working him into the offense, as well. I do see a little bit of a three-headed monster there, potentially. We’ll see where that goes over the next course of games, and hopefully, that’s something that can start to develop for us.”
Mitchell was a sparkplug for the Ravens’ offense last season, averaging 8.4 yards per carry and 10.3 yards per catch in the eight games he appeared in. His finished last season with 47 carries for 396 yards and nine catches for 93 yards.
Baltimore already boasts the most prolific running game in football, averaging a league-best 182.6 rushing yards per game and 440.2 total yards per game. Henry has been at the heart of that, leading the NFL with 1,120 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns this season. Hill has been a weapon in the passing game with 272 receiving yards and he has caught two touchdowns.
Finding a balance with Mitchell in the fold won’t be easy as he works his way back from his injury. But if he can return to his form from last season, there’s no reason why the Ravens can’t have the three-headed monster that Harbaugh envisions.