Arizona Cardinals back rewarded for his outstanding effort
By Jim Koch
Arizona Cardinals starting running back Kenyan Drake is the latest recipient of the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week award
Try as they may, the defensive unit of the Cleveland Browns did very little to slow down the Arizona Cardinals rushing attack last Sunday. Kenyan Drake, in particular, had a spectacular day. When all was said and done, the Cards newly-appointed starting running back racked up an impressive 137 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
As a reward for his outstanding effort, Drake has been named the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week. Not a bad accolade for a player who just joined Arizona seven weeks ago. To the delight of the franchise, Drake appears to be an excellent fit for head coach Kliff Kingsbury‘s “Air Raid” offense.
Drake ran through the Cleveland defenders with relative ease during the Cardinals 38-24 victory. The 25-year old became the club’s first ball-carrier since Ronald Moore to record four rushing scores in a game. Moore accomplished the same feat back in 1993 during his rookie campaign with the Redbirds.
A trade orchestrated by Cards general manager Steve Keim back on October 28th brought Drake to the desert. The Miami Dolphins received a conditional 2020 draft pick (a sixth-rounder that will likely become a fifth) in exchange for the former University of Alabama product. It certainly appears that Arizona’s front office got the better of the deal.
Making sure that Drake remains with the organization is the challenge that lies ahead for Keim. The 6’1, 212 pounder will be a free agent at the end of the season. A multi-year contract for Drake would likely mean that former starter David Johnson will be playing elsewhere in 2020.
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The recognition that Drake received for his work against the Browns was well-deserved. There’s no reason to believe that there won’t be more performances like last weekend’s in the running back’s future. It’s now up to Keim to make sure that Drake continues that type of stellar play in a Cardinals uniform.