The Dolphins’ rushing attack in 2019 wasn’t very good with former Miami running back Kenyan Drake toting the football. And, after the team traded Drake away to Arizona at the 2019 NFL trade deadline, things didn’t exactly get better. A significant subsection of Dolphins fans have panned for years to see the Dolphins commit to Drake as a rusher — to no avail. So when Drake was shipped to Arizona and suddenly found his groove, the wound stung.
It probably stung for Drake, too — who held belief for a while that he could be a prominent fixture in a backfield, only to never get that chance from the Dolphins.
With Drake back in town for the Super Bowl, he dished to the Miami Herald on what he felt during his tenure in Miami — although he’s seemingly at peace with his three and a half seasons in South Florida.
“I feel like at the end of the day, they had a plan of how they wanted to go in a direction,” said Drake via the Herald. “I feel like I didn’t fit in that plan. I just feel like when they put in a specific role, just playing third down, or coming out and being a receiving back, I felt like I could run and be a little bit more productive.”
And here’s the thing — Drake clearly wasn’t wrong. He found ample space in Kliff Kingsbury’s spread offense and shredded off big runs. But that’s what makes this team building proposition so complicated: the Dolphins weren’t wrong to be apprehensive about his usage, either. Drake needs room to work — something the Dolphins were never going to be able to afford him in 2019. And Brian Flores seemingly wants his offense to be physical and running down hill. Or at least that was the impression we got in 2019.
Drake and the Dolphins were never a good fit when you consider the Dolphins’ line and Drake’s eagerness to prove himself in a contract year. So instead, Drake got a bittersweet head start on his second chance and the Dolphins will now get the chance to find a better fit for their personnel.
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