Kliff Kingsbury‘s “Air Raid” produced monstrous RB1 performance throughout all of 2019. None were more impressive than midseason acquisition Kenyan Drake. From his Week 9 arrival on, Drake was fantasy’s RB3 in PPR PPG (19.9), trailing only Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry.
Drake’s hoping to parlay his monstrous end to 2019 into a massive 2020 payday. Our No.3 available NFL Free Agent RB, Drake’s angling for $8-$10 million annually, aka a Top-Five RB contract.
Will this price him out of the Cardinals range? Where else might Drake land? Who has rumored interest?
Ideal Spot: Return to Cardinals
We’ve long been fans of Drake, who’s only flourished whenever given ample volume. Kingsbury’s offense couldn’t have been a more perfect fit for his slashing running-style and dangerous receiving ability, particularly when in space. Count Kingsbury as another fan, who raved at the 2020 Combine:
“We’d love to have him back, he’s a perfect fit for our offense. I think he understands that…He has a burst, a competitive spirit. He came in, picked up the offense quick. I think the opportunity to have the majority of the touches and carry the workload, he seized that opportunity. He had the hot hand, we rode him, and couldn’t have been more impressed with what he did for us.”
GM Steve Keim echoed Kingsbury’s praise, gushing:
“He’s certainly a guy we would like to have back but again not sure what the market is going to do. I do know this: He took full advantage of his opportunity. I was really proud to see not only his work ethic but the skill set he has is so unique, his ability to run, stretch the way he does, ability to catch the ball out of the backfield… presented some problems for the other team.”
Indeed, Drake was an ideal fit for the Cardinals. Kingsbury prefers a three-down horse so that he can keep the pedal to the medal and avoid substitutions.
Drake’s an incredible receiver and sneaky hard tackle, which led him to play 70% or higher snaps in all but one of his eight games in Arizona, including 5/8 over 83% of the snaps.
Should he return, Drake would be an immediate Top-15 RB worthy of a mid Round 2 selection, at minimum.
Predicted Spot: Lions (ew)
While the Cardinals would be ideal, they feel unlikely to sink a major contract into Drake. They already burned a ton of money into David Johnson, and likely have cold feet at a repeat mistake at the same position.
A return would be contingent on a DJ trade to clear the cap space… and which team is going to absorb an exorbitant $16.2 million cap hit for a back who looked like he had a piano strapped to his back? Maybe the cap-rich Dolphins, but this feels unlikely unless they gain some major Draft Day compensation for taking the hit.
The Lions, equipped with $47million in cap space, are reportedly very interested in Drake. Sure, Kerryon Johnson has flashed, but he has yet to remain healthy. Drake makes plenty of sense, although the team is reportedly balking at Drake’s $8-$10million demands.
The Redskins have also been rumored to have interest. Yet, with Adrian Peterson just re-signed, Derrius Guice flashing high-end traits whenever healthy, and Bryce Love reportedly looking explosive in the early offseason, this is a crowded RB room. The team has too many other needs to sink that much cap into a luxury like Drake.
Let’s hope a slow market results in Arizona getting a hometown discount, where Drake would again yield Top-10 RB stats as the perfect weapon in this attack.
What other Free Agent RBs do you need to know about? Also, check out our Whole 2020 NFL Free Agency Preview Podcast to get caught up on every position.
