The Cardinals already spent a Day 3 pick to get Kenyan Drake on their team. They're going to spend another $8.48 million to keep him there for at least one more season.
Drake was given the transition tag by the Cardinals on Monday, effectively limiting any possible movement in free agency this spring. It's a telling sign that they want him in their plans and view him as an important piece of their offense.
Drake's arrival in the desert proved to be helpful -- in eight games he totaled 814 yards from scrimmage and eight rushing touchdowns. But the numbers came inconsistently; he had six of the eight scores and 40.5% of those total yards in Weeks 15 and 16 against the Browns and Seahawks. Outside of those matchups, he averaged 80.7 total yards per game with two touchdowns.
Above all, opportunity was and should still be there for Drake. The Cardinals gave him 15 or more carries in half of his starts there -- in over three seasons with the Dolphins, he had three games with 15-plus carries. Ultimately, he fit into the Cardinals scheme as a versatile offensive weapon with big-play potential. That shouldn't change in 2020. He's going to get viewed as a top 15 Fantasy running back worthy of a Round 3 choice. Not only are 250 total touches a possibility, but so too are 1,500 total yards.
Chase Edmonds will be the No. 2 running back behind Drake, a spot that should see him get a few nibbles from game to game. In Drake's games last year, the Cardinals backup running back never had more than six touches per game. Sometimes that number was two, one or zero. Edmonds is terrific as a handcuff for Drake, but don't expect him to have stand-alone value.
