NFL Rumors: Ravens’ Kenneth Dixon expected to miss four weeks with torn MCL
The Baltimore Ravens have a lot of running back depth, but that has taken a hit with preseason star Kenneth Dixon expected to miss four weeks with a torn MCL.
After a prolific college career at Louisiana Tech, Kenneth Dixon entered a deep group of running backs upon being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens this year. Despite Justin Forsett being named the starter, with Javorius “Buck” Allen and Terrance West also in the mix, it’s not hard to see a path to playing time for Dixon.
Dixon went down with a left knee injury Saturday night against the Detroit Lions, but Ravens head coach John Harbaugh quickly dismissed it as “not overly serious.” On Sunday, all things considered, the news seems to reflect that sentiment.
Ravens' rookie RB Kenneth Dixon is expected to miss four weeks with an MCL tear that will not require surgery, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 28, 2016
Dixon had a strong preseason, with a team-leading 107 rushing yards and a 4.9 yards per-carry average. Before being injured Saturday night, he was seeing reps with the first-team offense as he entered the game behind Forsett.
The rookie suffered a Grade 1 MCL strain early in training camp, but it’s unclear if that was also to his left knee and he only missed a week of practice. Having a man the size of Lions nose tackle Haloti Ngata fall on your leg the way he did on Dixon’s could easily lead to an injury, and it could have been a lot worse. But it’s worth wondering if Dixon’s left MCL was already compromised, and the tear he suffered thus had a better chance to happen.
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Dixon’s injury was clearly ill-timed, as he climbed the depth chart. The Ravens’ running back picture is still cloudy and unpredictable right now, but Dixon should make it hard to keep him off the field once he’s healthy.