Ravens Have Insurance Policy at RB

The Baltimore Ravens have options in the backfield if needed.

Nov 26, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell (34) runs the ball ahead of Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (26) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The effects of playing three games in an 11-day span are becoming very apparent for the Baltimore Ravens, and at a key position at that.

Early in Saturday's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, running back Justice Hill suffered a scary-looking concussion and remained down on the field for a few minutes. He was eventually able to walk off under his own power, but it was still a very scary situation for all involved.

Unsurprisingly, Hill was an estimated non-participant on Sunday's injury report, and given that the Ravens play the Houston Texans on Wednesday, there's a very good chance he doesn't suit up on Christmas Day.

Hill has been a strong complementary piece to Derrick Henry this season, and while the latter may be amazing, the Ravens don't want him handling every single offensive snap. To help him out, the Ravens could turn to second-year back Keaton Mitchell, who has been inactive the past few weeks as he continues to recover from last season's brutal knee injury.

"Keaton's been ready to go," head coach John Harbaugh told reporters Sunday. "It's just a matter of ... there's levels of being ready to go. He's coming off the injury, but I would say, in practice, we've seen steady progress with his explosiveness [and] his quickness and all that, and he's been looking good in practice."

Mitchell returned to the field in Week 10, but it was clear to see he hadn't fully recovered yet. He only played four offensive snaps in three games and primarily handled kick-return duties.

The former undrafted free agent, who rushed for 396 yards and two touchdowns last season while averaging over eight yards per carry, continues to work his way back to full strength, and he's eager to get some more action.

"I'm as antsy as it gets," Mitchell said. "It's been a year, been too long. So I'm ready."

Additionally, the Ravens could turn to rookie running back Rasheen Ali, who has seen a bit of action the past two weeks.

" I believe he'll be ready to go," Harbaugh said. "He's pretty good in pass protection, so in practice, he knows what he's doing, but until you get out there and play in a regular game, and you're challenged with all the things that go with it, you don't really know. He'll have an opportunity to kind of show what he's all about."

The Ravens will wait to see if Hill can go on Christmas, but if he can't, they at least have a few solid options to choose from.

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• No Rest for Ravens After Huge Win
• Ravens WR Dealing With Shoulder Injury
• Ravens Flex Muscles in Trenches vs. Steelers
• Ravens' Marlon Humphrey Jokes About Trolling Steelers
• Ravens Playoff Scenarios After Steelers Win