Jacksonville Jaguars veteran player out for season after suffering freak knee injury
The former ECU running back went down with a non-contact injury in Sunday night’s win over Jacksonville.
East Carolina product and Baltimore Ravens standout rookie Keaton Mitchell has seen his standout rookie season in the NFL come to a premature end. Mitchell went down in awkward fashion in the fourth quarter of the Ravens’ 23-7 win over Jacksonville on Sunday Night Football. He took off on what appeared to be a big run on the right side and had green grass in front of him when he left knee buckled and went the wrong way, leading to Mitchell going down in a heap.
The speedy running back was carried off the field by teammates and then carted off. Head coach John Harbaugh said after the game “it looks like he won’t be back for the rest of this season.” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network confirmed Mitchell has suffered a torn ACL, but is expected to make a full recovery in time.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Harbaugh said after the game. “He’s just got a great attitude and demeanor about him, and it’s a guy that he wants to do well. He deserves to do well.”
The former Pirate rushed nine times for 73 yards and caught two passes for 15 yards on Sunday night before going down with the injury. The NBC broadcast did not show a replay of the injury due to the gruesome nature of Mitchell’s leg bending the wrong way. The Ravens were playing against the Jaguars, who have another former ECU player – veteran wide out Zay Jones – on their roster. Jones caught five passes for 59 yards for the Jaguars before also exiting the game with an injury.
Mitchell had become a rookie revelation for the Ravens, adding some much-needed gamebreaking ability to Baltimore’s backfield. He’s played in eight games, rushing for 396 yards and two scores, averaging 8.4 yards per carry. Mitchell had a long run of 60 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
For Mitchell, the hope becomes the injury doesn’t totally derail what’s been a strong start to a promising career as an unheralded, undrafted free agent. He had to impress in the preseason to earn a 53-man roster spot, and overcome a shoulder injury in the process before making it back midseason.
During his three years at East Carolina, Mitchell rushed for 3,027 yards total and an average of 6.5 yards per carry. Mitchell tallied back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2021 and 2022. His best season came in 2022, when he rushed for 1,452 yards and 14 touchdowns, leading the FBS in runs for more than 10 yards with 54.
Originally a three-star prospect from Eagles Landing Christian Academy, Mitchell signed with ECU as part of the 2020 recruiting class originally.
Baltimore is currently 10-3 and positioned to be the top seed in the AFC with three weeks left in the regular season. The Ravens are a game ahead of the Dolphins and two games ahead of the Chiefs.
