As cool as it may have sounded to have Kenyan Drake join fellow Alabama alum Josh Jacobs in the Raiders backfield, it didn’t seem like something that would happen. Most saw Drake as a feature back and the Raiders as focusing on the defense with their limited funds. They had other plans.
“Once Monday got going coach Gruden was just head and shoulder above everybody in terms of interest.,” said Drake.
Drake got a pretty hefty contract that came with $11 million guaranteed over two years with the chance to reach $14 million after incentives. It’s a contract you might expect a starter to get. But the Raiders already have Jacobs entrenched as the starter. So, what’s Gruden thinking? And why would Drake want to play somewhere he wouldn’t be the feature back?
Drake noted that playing with fellow Alabama running back Josh Jacobs was attractive to him. Though they never shared a backfield for the Crimson Tide (Jacobs came in the year after Drake left). There had to be more to it than that.
“With my abilities, just being a ‘starter’ isn’t something that is a high priority in terms of being out there for however many plays,” Drake said of choosing the Raiders. “What coach Gruden said was that he was going to use me was just being on the field in a multitude of ways; playing receiver, playing running back. Just having that kind of ability to use my versatility as a weapon in the open field is something that really spoke to me. To share that role with Josh with him being such a capable back, I feel like it spells success for this team.”
Playing running back and receiver? Sounds like Drake is Gruden’s latest attempt and filling the Joker role in his offense. Sounds intriguing. And Drake is talented enough to do well in that role. The question is if the ‘Drake & Josh’ backfield can contribute enough to the team success to make it worth the big contract for Drake after already using a first round pick on Jacobs. Especially with the defense in such dire need of attention.
