Breaking NFL News: Raiders Dump Overpaid, Underwhelming RB

Originally posted on The Raider Ramble | Last updated 8/22/22

On a day where there’s been constant breaking NFL news, the Las Vegas Raiders and their brain trust are having a busy day. Earlier today, the team shipped off Nick Mullens to the Minnesota Vikings. Clearly, the Vikings liked what they saw from Mullens and were okay with exchanging a seventh-round pick for his services. However, that development is now eclipsed by the Raiders’ cutting one of their offensive stars.

Many fans were bewildered when Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock signed Kenyan Drake last offseason. The defense was clearly still a priority, along with several other positions. Running back wasn’t one of them. Hence, signing Drake to a lucrative contract just didn’t make sense. However, it appeared that the Raiders now had a legitimate one-two punch with Drake and Josh Jacobs. Regrettably, it never really took off for those two. Whether you want to blame it on injuries, health, or scheme use (or lack thereof), Drake was unable to get it going for the Raiders. Today, with the Silver and Black under a new regime, the team has parted ways with Drake.

NFL News: Raiders over ambitiously overpaid for Drake’s services

There are no two ways about it: Gruden was a terrible talent evaluator. Decisions such as paying $11 million for one year of a running back’s career are more often than not, a death knell.

Raiders paid $11 million for one year of Kenyan Drake. That's nearly $2.5 million more than what the franchise tag was for running backs last season.

It was painfully obvious that head coach Josh McDaniels was unimpressed by Drake. More so than that, fans are now familiar with his style of handling the running game. On a committee that’s now stacked with talent and potential, continuing to pay for Drake just wasn’t going to make sense moving forward. If healthy, Drake is still a dangerous offensive weapon. There’s no doubt he’ll land on his feet somewhere.

This article first appeared on The Raider Ramble and was syndicated with permission.

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