Little more than a curiosity during much of his three-plus seasons with the Miami Dolphins, running back Kenyan Drake truly emerged as a fantasy force after being acquired by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019 when he racked up 814 yards and eight touchdowns in eight games with the club. He followed that up with 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2020 — while not exactly disappointing, there was a significant per-game drop from 101.8 yards per outing to 72.8.
That dip in efficiency didn’t dissuade the Las Vegas Raiders from signing Drake to a two-year, $14.5 million contract before last season with $11 million guaranteed. Theoretically, the plan was to use Drake in conjunction with Josh Jacobs, but after totaling 34 touches over the season’s first three weeks, the former Cardinal would see double-digit opportunities just twice in his remaining nine games.
Drake’s season ended abruptly on Dec. 5 when he suffered a fractured right ankle. The injury required surgery, but there have been no reported complications, and the veteran is believed to be healing fine with the expectation he’ll be ready for camp. While there was some speculation about job security, the Raiders restructured Drake’s contract in March, so it’d be surprising not to see his name behind Jacobs on the depth chart.
