Who Should I Start? Keaton Mitchell or Jaleel McLaughlin

Tuesday, June 24, 11:08 PM

Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell suffered an ACL tear in his knee in his rookie year in 2023 but has shown the same speed and explosiveness in offseason workouts that he teased back in 2023 before his season-ending injury. Mitchell was still navigating physical and mental hurdles when he returned last November to average just 2.0 yards per carry in five regular-season games. The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec writes that the 23-year-old has looked quicker and more assertive during offseason workouts in recent weeks, which is a great development for the Ravens. Although Derrick Henry remains the RB1 workhorse in Baltimore, he's not getting any younger, and Mitchell is far too explosive not to be used in 2025. Mitchell has the most upside of the Ravens' backup RBs and would be a fine handcuff to Henry.

Monday, January 13, 10:50 AM

Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin was a complete non-factor in the team's 31-7 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday on wild-card weekend. Like most of the season, Denver's backfield was stuck in the mud and couldn't get anything going to control the game, with rookie quarterback Bo Nix leading the team with 43 rushing yards on four carries. McLaughlin, who had been the leader of a committee backfield late in the season, had only two rushing attempts for minus-two yards while catching his only target for no gain. It was a dismal end to the 24-year-old's second season in the NFL. He finished with 113 carries for 496 yards (4.4 yards per carry) and only one rushing touchdown in 16 regular-season games while adding 24 catches for 76 yards and two more TDs through the air. Denver will surely look to upgrade their backfield in the offseason to give more help to Nix in 2025.