Kenyan Drake on Trade block - UPDATE: traded to Cardinals

Patra wrote:The Miami Dolphins' fire sale could continue up until the Oct. 29 trade deadline.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Dolphins have had trade conversations with teams centered around running back Kenyan Drake, and the team has indicated it would trade him if the right offer presented itself, per sources informed of the situation.

Drake is playing out the final year of his rookie contract. Rapoport added that sides have had no extension talks since training camp, and the running back would welcome a new opportunity.

Whether Drake is traded this year or not, he is unlikely to return to the team next year. He’s a free agent and he wants to play for a team that will value his talents, including his 4.3 speed, to a greater degree. He wants to maximize his payday, which is understandable.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, haven’t highly valued Drake under two different coaching staffs. Last year, as the offense struggled to move the football, Drake was limited on run downs because he too often improvised and that led to losses on carries -- something the Dolphins could not overcome.

This year, the Brian Flores coaching staff moved second-year running back Kalen Ballage ahead of Drake as the starter in training camp. When that proved unsuccessful after three or four regular season games, the team moved Ballage out of the starting lineup.

And last Sunday Miami started former third-string running back Mark Walton.

Ahead of Drake.

Coaches also haven’t loved some of Drake’s practice habits, according to a source.

When the team and Drake’s agents had brief contract extension talks in early September, they were not on the same page. Indeed, a source said the Dolphins made an offer and got no response. Drake’s value for himself is apparently much higher than what the team is willing to invest.

@AdamSchefter
Compensation update: Arizona is trading a 2020 6th-round pick that could become a 5th-round pick to Miami in exchange for RB Kenyan Drake, per source.

finfanatic wrote:They sure seem to be dumping anybody who was too firmly a Gase-disciple it seems to me.

Or is it just anybody who has ANY trade value?

rightchea wrote:yeah once you in the situation where either get something or get nothing for someone makes sense to try and trade him away. Who knows Miami might get someone within the sixth round that will be a better player than who we have now

white1 wrote:Agree.

Plus, Drake still thinks he is a bell-cow starting running back when no coaching staff going all the way back to Nick Saban in Alabama has ever believed he can be that guy.

He's more of a poor man's Alvin Kamara and he definitely needs the Ingram counterpart to share the load.

O'Shea is probably looking for those Patriots-type backs that can all run and catch pretty well, and they use 3 running backs in various formations.  It's also hard (at least for me) to predict what the Pats are doing when one of the 3 backs is on the field.  It's not really "this guy means pass, that guy means run".