Las Vegas Raiders: Overall impact of signing RB Kenyan Drake

The Las Vegas Raiders made another shock move in free agency, this time signing RB Kenyan Drake to a two-year deal.

The Las Vegas Raiders’ biggest need coming into the offseason was a top-down rebuild of the defense after the unit struggled mightily in 2020. Every position would have to be scrutinized and possibly upgraded after a horrendous year that saw the unit finish near the bottom of the NFL in nearly every category.

Another need for the Raiders was a backup running back after Devontae Booker chose to sign with the New York Giants after a solid season that appears to have gotten his career back on track. Many expected them to target low-cost free agents like Samaje Perine or Matt Breida but instead, they shocked the world by signing Kenyan Drake to a two-year deal.

The contract is worth up to $14 million but $11 million of that is guaranteed so the Raiders could presumably be paying $7 million a year for a player listed as the backup running back. The rationale behind the move is clear and so are the negatives as the move has been widely panned on social media but a deeper dive is needed.

First, we can begin by why the Raiders would bring in a player like Drake and pay him all that money.