Las Vegas Raiders: Grading offensive free agent additions
Las Vegas Raiders: Grading offensive free agent additions
Kenyan Drake – Running Back, Arizona Cardinals
In another surprising move, the Raiders brought in former Arizona Cardinal Kenyan Drake to bolster their backfield. After a slow start to his career in Miami, Drake exploded onto the scene after being traded to Arizona in 2019 and followed that up with a strong campaign in 2020.
The move is surprising because we did not expect the Raiders to spend any significant money on a running back this offseason considering they have Josh Jacobs on the roster and have plenty of other needs. Instead, they plan to sign Drake to a two-year, $14.5 million deal with $11 million of it guaranteed.
This decision flies in the face of conventional wisdom in today’s NFL but Jon Gruden has always been about doing things his own way. Drake now pairs with Josh Jacobs to form one of the more talented backfields in the NFL and gives the Raiders and Derek Carr another weapon. Gruden reportedly plans to deploy Drake in the “joker” role he planned for Lynn Bowden but that never came to fruition.
Bringing in Drake could prove a shrewd move if he could combine with Jacobs the way Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt have in Cleveland and take more pressure off Derek Carr’s shoulders. Drake is a versatile back that is a proven starter in the league and should relieve some of the wear and tear from Jacobs.
Next. Las Vegas Raiders: Overall impact of signing RB Kenyan Drake. dark
The issue is that this seems like an overpay in an NFL where running backs are constantly devalued and considering the other needs on the roster. Perhaps the fact that no receiver on the roster is making more than $5 million in base salary helped the Raiders justify the move. There are considerable downsides to this but plenty of upside as well if Drake is as explosive in Las Vegas as he was in Arizona.