Kenyan Drake, Arizona Cardinals (age: 26)
And now we’ve reached what I believe to be the best free agent fit for the Denver Broncos: Arizona Cardinals running back Kenyan Drake.
The Cardinals acquired Drake at the trade deadline this past season and used him exceptionally well, especially down the stretch of the season. With David Johnson dealing with injuries, Drake really became an effective lead back for Arizona and showed off his skills not only as a runner but as a receiver with Kyler Murray throwing him passes.
The former Alabama star had been a quiet stud for the Miami Dolphins and was really good with the Cardinals.
Over the course of his first four years in the NFL, Drake has averaged 4.8 yards per carry and 5.5 yards per touch. In the last two seasons, he’s scored 17 total touchdowns and caught 103 passes.
He’s shown he can make big plays and be a reliable pass-catching weapon for an offense with multiple teams.
With his age (26 later in January) and production over the past two seasons, specifically, I think Drake could wind up being a Tevin Coleman-type of steal for some team in free agency and I hope it’s the Denver Broncos.
His skillset pairs well with Phillip Lindsay and would give the Broncos a really deep backfield.
At the price of $5-6 million per season, I would sign Drake to a four-year deal and not think twice about it.