Arizona Cardinals: Kenyan Drake trade will strengthen Kyler Murray, offense

The Arizona Cardinals have traded for running back Kenyan Drake, who should immediately have a strong positive impact on Kyler Murray and the offense.

Chase Edmonds had his breakout game in Week 7 for the Arizona Cardinals while David Johnson was active but sidelined with an ankle injury. With Johnson out in Week 8, though, Edmonds went down with a hamstring injury and the Cardinals were left searching for answers in a blowout loss. Thus, they turned to the trade market to find an answer, landing on Kenyan Drake.

The Cardinals have traded a 2020 sixth-round pick that could become a fifth-rounder to the Miami Dolphins for the running back, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter also added that, with Johnson already out for the Cardinals on Thursday Night Football in Week 9 and with Edmonds banged up, Drake should slot right into a big role upon his arrival in Arizona.

In the short term, specifically for that Thursday night matchup, Drake will be a great addition for the Cardinals offense. Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury‘s offense have been at their best when Johnson or Edmonds are running well and providing a pass-catching option out of the backfield.

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Drake has proven he can provide that throughout his time with the Dolphins — save for the 2019 season when things in Miami have (possibly intentionally) not been going well. The Alabama product is a great receiving back that also has big-play potential as a runner. Getting the ball in his hands always opens up the possibility for a large gain.

What some people might question is how Drake fits into the Cardinals offense in the longer term. Even then, though, he seems like a wonderful fit into the new-look Arizona regime.

Kingsbury’s Air Raid offense thrives when you have dynamic players in the backfield. And as good as Johnson has been and as impressive as Edmonds has flashed, both players have seemingly proved at this point that they are incapable of handling a full-time workload. Thus, turning to a platoon rotation of backs may be best for the players and the offense alike.

Drake will provide the Cardinals that opportunity moving forward. He gives Murray a player that he can trust if Johnson and Edmonds are either not in the lineup or in need of taking a few plays off. And if he is invigorated by a change of scenery, he also has the potential to be a game-changing weapon for an offense that is looking for such a player right now.

Considering the moderate compensation required to get the trade done, this move is decidedly a win for the Cardinals. It will aid them immediately as their injured backfield recovers but also down the road as their offense will simply be more dynamic and fluid with Kenyan Drake involved.