The Baltimore Ravens' third-year running back Keaton Mitchell generated a lot of hype in the preseason.
He looked like the explosive, rookie year version of Mitchell, and not the dinged up second year version.
In 2023, Mitchell had a ridiculous 8.4 yards per carry as a rookie.
In his injury return, he ran just 15 times for 30 yards.
But this summer, it seemed Mitchell might be fully recovered.
That's what made Sunday night's news so surprising: Mitchell was inactive against the Buffalo Bills.
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Why is Keaton Mitchell inactive?
The Baltimore Ravens kept Keaton Mitchell inactive in favor of a different RB3.
Baltimore's depth chart is topped by Derrick Henry. And Justice Hill is the established third-down running back.
But they kept Rasheen Ali up for the game and had Mitchell down.
It's likely that there are special teams implication here with Ali.
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Mitchell didn't really play on special teams in his previous seasons.
The Ravens, if everyone is healthy, will do just fine with Henry and Hill in the backfield. So if Ali had a skill he could use that Mitchell didn't have, it'd make sense for Baltimore to give it a shot.
It doesn't mean Mitchell won't have a role this season. But he's not out there for Week 1.
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