Kenneth Dixon practiced on Friday for the first time since September. The Ravens placed Dixon on injured reserve after he injured his knee in the opening game against the Bills. While there is no denial of the great talent Kenneth Dixon has, his baggage outweighs it. Kenneth Dixon is an injury prone player, specifically in the knees. In college, Dixon suffered multiple injuries. As a rookie, Dixon missed the first four games of the 2016 season with a knee injury. Last year Dixon tore his meniscus and missed the entire year. This year, Dixon both missed time in training camp, and the regular season with injuries.
The Ravens cannot trust Dixon to stay on the field. The number of injuries he has sustained is enormous. While Dixon suffers from chronic injuries, he also inflicts some on himself. In 2017 Dixon was given a four-game suspension before tearing his meniscus. The NFL found that Dixon broke the league’s substance abuse policy. Dixon may even have to face another suspension this year. Before being taken off of the injured reserve, there were rumors and speculations swirling around that another suspension for Dixon was looming. There has been no announcement as of yet, but it could still come if the NFL does know of a wrongdoing.
The Ravens are wasting time playing around with Kenneth Dixon. The third-year running back has only played in 13 games. The constant injuries and threat of suspension give him no value on a team with four other healthy, reliable, and dependable running backs. The run game is struggling, but Kenneth Dixon would do nothing to help it. Dixon is nothing more than a liability for the Ravens at this point. If the Ravens place him back on the roster, the team will need to part ways with another running back, presumably Gus Edwards. But Edwards has done well as a downhill runner and has proved durable so far for the Ravens. It would be a mistake for the Ravens to let Edwards go for Dixon, especially since Dixon has no real future in Baltimore.
