The Las Vegas Raiders' running backs room is beginning to take shape, thanks to an important roster move the team made on Monday. Veteran running back Kenyan Drake saw his time with the Raiders come to a sudden end on Monday after he was released by the team in the latest series of roster cuts. The roster move was first reported by NFL insider Tom Pelissero.
The #Raiders plan to release veteran RB Kenyan Drake, per source. pic.twitter.com/4qFTc9ogbX
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 22, 2022
Drake initially signed with the Raiders in 2021. He featured in two games for the team last season, recording 63 carries with 254 yards and two touchdowns. He caught 30 receptions on 43 targets, racking up 291 yards and one score, too.
The 28-year-old was competing with the likes of Josh Jacobs, Ameer Abdullah, Zamir White and Brandon Bolden for touches in the Raiders' backfield, but after the first two preseason games, it seems Drake was deemed the odd-man out.
While the move to release Drake has not been finalized, the Raiders are expected to go through with it unless they can find a trade partner for him, according to Josina Anderson.
My understanding is the #Raiders will still keep an ear to the phone for potential 11th-hour trade inquiries for RB Kenyan Drake, but the clear-cut intention remains to move on either way, per league source.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) August 22, 2022
If no trade possibility emerges for Drake, the Raiders will then release him outright.
The veteran running back has been something of a journeyman throughout his NFL career, having made stops with the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals and the Raiders. Now, he'll look to latch on with his fourth team in as many seasons, hoping he can find a role to fill on a running back-needy team.
Drake's best season came back in 2020 with the Cardinals when he racked up 955 yards across 15 games. He carried the ball a career-high 239 times that season and scored 10 touchdowns.
Now that the door has closed on his chapter with the Raiders, Drake will once again be a free agent. There should be some interest in the veteran RB, but it's unclear what the market looks like for him at this point.
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