Many assumed Kenyan Drake would be the go-to running back for the Miami Dolphins but early training camp returns say Kalen Ballage may be the guy.
In the 2019 season, the Miami Dolphins are going to undergo dramatic changes. From quarterback to defense to the coaching staff, this is going to be a new-look team, without a doubt. However, one of the more unheralded changes is at running back. With Frank Gore leaving after last season, it seemed as if it was going to be the Kenyan Drake show in 2019 and moving forward for the Dolphins.
That assumption, however, might not be accurate. As the Dolphins began training camp last week, Drake hasn’t been taking first-team reps at running back. In fact, it’s been 2018 fourth-round pick Kalen Ballage getting those reps, per NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal. Meanwhile, Drake has been more a passing-down back for the offense.
Last season in the final year under Adam Gase, Drake was used far more than Ballage, earning 173 touches (120 carries, 53 receptions), 1,012 total yards (535 rushing, 477 yards) and nine total touchdowns. Meanwhile, Ballage had just 45 touches as a rookie, though he was productive as he averaged 5.3 yards per carry.
However, immediately slotting Drake into a full-time running back role would got completely against what he’s done for the entirety of his football career, even going back to Alabama. As Rosenthal noted, he’s actually never had more than 200 touches in any season, professional or collegiate. Perhaps that’s part of what’s at play here.
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As for Ballage, there’s reason to be excited about what he could offer given his averages in limited work last season. However, it’s also worth noting that he’s in the same boat as Drake. Throughout his time at Arizona State and obviously in his rookie season with the Dolphins as well, Ballage has never seen more than 200 touches in a single season.
Perhaps the biggest thing to consider when looking at all of this, though, is the new man in charge of Miami, new head coach Brian Flores.
Flores comes to the Dolphins from the New England Patriots. As fantasy owners will surely lament, the Patriots are (in)famous for utilizing a platoon of running backs year in and year out. They don’t just use players for certain situations — they are continually rotating their backs, giving defenses diverse looks to contend with.
With that background working with the Patriots, there is a chance that Ballage and Drake are a mini version of just that. While the second-year back may be getting first-team reps ahead of Drake, there’s the chance that he just needs the reps to get up to speed so that Flores can deploy the duo in any manner, not a clear-cut sign that the Dolphins favor him over Drake.
Training camp is still young and it’s critical to not totally overreact to all of this. However, fans and fantasy owners alike should be taking note of Ballage getting this work. As stated, there’s a chance it means very little come the regular season. But for now, it’s worth keeping in mind with how the Dolphins running back depth chart could shake out.