For four seasons as the Miami Dolphins’ head coach, Mike McDaniel maximized running backs.
In 2023, 31-year-old veteran running back Raheem Mostert reached heights he hadn’t flirted with before and never sniffed again: 209 carries, 1,012 yards, and an NFL-leading 18 touchdowns on 4.8 yards per attempt. More recently, De’Von Achane, Miami’s third-round pick from the 2023 NFL Draft, emerged as one of the most dynamic dual-threat backs in the league. Last season, Achane accumulated 1,350 yards and eight touchdowns on an NFL-best 5.7 yards per rush, and he added 67 catches for 488 yards and four touchdowns.
The Dolphins fired McDaniel in early January, and McDaniel was the Los Angeles Chargers‘ new offensive coordinator by the end of the month.
“Whether running the ball or throwing it, McDaniel knows how to create explosive plays,” CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani wrote. “In fact, he’s registered the seventh-most team yards per play (5.78) among head coaches in the Super Bowl era. Imagine what he’s going to be able to do with Justin Herbert and Omarion Hampton.”
With NFL free agency underway, pundits are now also wondering what McDaniel can do with Keaton Mitchell.
On Thursday morning, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that Mitchell, a former Baltimore Ravens running back, is signing a two-year contract with the Chargers.
“Given McDaniel’s system, he could be a PPR cheat code in a usable flex kinda way,” fantasy football expert Matthew Berry wrote in reaction to the move. “He should be used way more than he was in Baltimore.” Similarly, The Athletic‘s Ted Nguyen posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Perfect fit. Mitchell is going to get a ton of playing time.”
The Ravens signed Mitchell as an undrafted free agent in 2023. He immediately showed game-changing burst, but he suffered a full ACL tear in December 2023, and he didn’t return to the field until Nov. 7, 2024. Last season, he appeared in 13 games but started none, recording 341 yards and one touchdown.
Mitchell has been buried on the Ravens’ depth chart behind future Hall of Famer Derrick Henry, and he competed for touches in a crowded Ravens running back room in 2023. Now, Mitchell will join Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal in the Chargers’ backfield.
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