Raiders Season Review: Kenyan Drake

The Las Vegas Raiders 2021 free-agent addition Kenyan Drake posted his lowest numbers since his rookie year as he bought into a backup role.

When the Las Vegas Raiders announced that they had signed running back Kenyan Drake to a two-year, $11-million contract, it was a move that made a lot of people scratch their heads. 

The Raiders already had Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs, and paying that kind of money for a backup running back seemed excessive. 

The thought was that Drake and Jacobs could be a dynamic one-two combo, but the Raiders were never able to run the ball well enough for that to happen. 

Drake would then put up his worst numbers since his rookie season, having 63 carries for 254 yards and two touchdowns. 

Even though he missed the last five games of the season due to a broken ankle didn't help, but even then Drake likely would have still finished with low numbers.

The opportunity certainly wasn't there often for him to produce, as he only played 35 percent of the Raiders' offensive snaps when he was healthy. 

One area where he was able to be effective was as a receiver, catching 30 balls for 291 yards, one touchdown, and nearly averaging 10 yards per catch. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Drake would actually finish with the third-highest receiving grade among running backs. 

With a better offensive line, it's plausible that Drake could have been more effective in a change of pace role. 

As is, with a new regime now in place, Drake's future could be up in the air if the Raiders look at where they could cut costs and decide that his salary is too rich for a backup.

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