What Does Kenyan Drake Bring To The Arizona Cardinals?

The Arizona Cardinals have bolstered their running back corps by trading with the Miami Dolphins for running back Kenyan Drake. The Cardinals will give up a 2020 sixth round pick that could become a fifth round pick, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The trade is a win-win for the Cardinals and Dolphins as Arizona adds a talented player in a position of need, thanks to injuries, and the Dolphins continue to stockpile picks for the future.

Drake is a speedy runner with the ability to take it the distance at any moment ( look no further than the game winner he scored against the Patriots last year). He's got tremendous skills as a runner to go along with his playmaking ability and he's able to make plays in the passing game too, racking up 116 catches for 936 yards and six touchdowns over his career. When the Cardinals faced the Saints, the team struggled to accumulate rushing yards, hitting 40 yards off 11 attempts. The team has succeeded in running the ball this year but it's not dominated by one back. Running backs David Johnson and Chase Edmonds have nearly 600 rushing yards combined while quarterback Kyler Murray has 279. Drake can add another threatening running back to that lineup.

The trade is a solution for a team that is in desperate need for running backs. Edmonds and Johnson are injured and Drake is perhaps the perfect running back for coach Kliff Kingsbury's offense. Kingsbury loves throwing the ball and having another running back who can run routes and catch passes can further open up the offense. When the running backs start regaining their health, Kingsbury could use the backs in a similar way the Patriots do, one as the primary rusher, one as a do it all back and one who's specializes as a pass catcher.

The addition of Drake won't magically transform the Cardinals' offense, nor will it transform the team into a playoff squad. The Cardinals are 3-4-1 and are in a division with the undefeated 49ers, a 6-2 Seahawks team and a 5-3 Rams team that recently traded for all-pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. It'll be tough for the team to tread water, especially when you consider the three teams Arizona beat have three combined wins between themselves.

The trade is a low risk move as the Cardinals get a solid running back to fill up the team's depth chart with a player who is on an expiring rookie deal. He'll make a little bit more than a $1 million this year and can enter free agency next year. If Drake is unable to perform well, he won't be brought back next year. If he does well, perhaps the Cardinals will try to keep him. It's going to be tough for Drake to earn that second contract with the Cardinals as the team already gave a massive contract to Johnson (three years, $39 million) and Edmonds is still on his rookie deal for two more seasons (four years, little bit less than $3 million).

One thing it shows about the Cardinals is that they're not willing to tank this season away. While the pick isn't a high value one, it shows the Cardinals want to stay competitive and keep fighting for a playoff spot. With five more divisional games left on the schedule, the team is a fringe playoff team but one that could cause some trouble late in December for some other teams.

The Cardinals' running back committee is in a bad way with the injury bug biting away at them. By trading for Drake, the team bolsters itself while adding a solid dual threat running back into the fold. It also sends a message to the players and fans that the Cardinals aren't looking for lost seasons anymore.