Former Cardinals RB expecting a big role with his new team in 2021

Former Arizona Cardinals running back Kenyan Drake believes he will have an important role for the Las Vegas Raiders during the 2021 season.

After a season and a half with the Arizona Cardinals, running back Kenyan Drake has taken his talents to the AFC West to see if he can help the Las Vegas Raiders get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

After joining the Cardinals midway through the 2019 campaign, Drake emerged as a solid piece of the team’s offense. During his tenure with Arizona, he averaged almost 70 rushing yards per game, he hauled in 53 passes, and he scored 18 touchdowns.

With the Raiders in 2021, Drake is hoping his performance will continue to trend in the right direction and help his new team get back to being a contender in the AFC.

Former Arizona Cardinals running back has high expectations for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021

It will be interesting to see what Drake‘s final numbers in 2021 will actually look like since he’ll be sharing snaps in the Las Vegas offensive backfield with Josh Jacobs.

Jacobs has had at least 260 touches in both of the last two seasons, so the former Cardinals running back should not expect to see the ball in his hands as much as it was when he was suiting up for Arizona.

Despite this, Drake recently spoke with SiriusXM NFL Radio and he shared what he believes his role with the Raiders might be next season.

"“I feel like I might have a big role in this offense. With them being a top-10 offense last year, the sky is the limit for us. I’m ready to see us take it to the next level.”"

It will be interesting to see how Las Vegas decides to use the former Cardinals running back in their offense this year. It will also be interesting to see how Drake adjusts to what will likely be a much lighter role compared to how he was utilized in Arizona.

However, with the heavy workload that Jacobs has had in the last two seasons with the Raiders (568 touches), there is a chance that he could be a little more susceptible to getting injured in 2021.

If this ends up happening though, Las Vegas should feel confident in Drake to fill in as a starter and get the job done after what he was able to do with the Cardinals during the last two years.