Kenyan Drake quotes Drake as he searches for the fire to ignite the Colts RB battle
WESTFIELD — Kenyan Drake took the ball on his first play through the hole as an Indianapolis Colt. His brain told him to move, but his legs weren't listening.
"I felt like I was running in mud," Drake said with a laugh.
Just 24 hours earlier, Drake was on a plane with his phone off, wondering when it would ring with another opportunity. He's been wondering that since he finished a one-year deal with the Ravens in January. It's a tough time in NFL history to be a running back looking for work, and it gets harder when the back is entering his eighth year in the league.
"Every day I got up, I had to open my horizon up a little bit," Drake said. "I'm in Year 8, in the latter half of my career. I want to continue to play as long as I can. I feel like I have a lot of tread on my tires. ... It's not that I necessarily need to play football, but I want to."
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Ironically, the call came from a Colts team that currently has a need at running back because it hasn't wanted to engage in contract negotiations with its star at the position. Jonathan Taylor has been on the Physically Unable to Perform List since camp began and has requested a trade, though owner Jim Irsay told IndyStar that the team has no plans on filling it.
But with Taylor in limbo and Zack Moss nursing a broken arm, Drake became of interest to a Colts team implementing a diverse running game with new coach Shane Steichen and historically athletic rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. Steichen is installing many of the misdirection and run-pass-option-based looks that helped unleash Jalen Hurts, Miles Sanders and the Eagles to become the NFL's best rushing team last year.
Drake is a unique fit here. The 6-foot-1, 216-pounder spent a year and a half in Arizona with Kyler Murray and the past season in Baltimore with Lamar Jackson. He's used to building the trust for late decisions by the quarterback to keep or hand the ball off, and he's succeeded in those roles with 4.4 yards per carry in both places.
"It just creates these crazy holes," Drake said of the mobile quarterback.
The question now is how much more Drake has to give. He's 29, which is only getting older in running back years. He has some mileage from his eight seasons but has never been a bell-cow back, as he has 867 career carries to go along with 216 career catches.
He's always found a way to fit the team he's on, whether it was catching 53 passes for the Dolphins in 2018 or scoring 10 touchdowns with the Cardinals in 2020 or providing a steady extra option with the Raiders and Ravens the past two seasons. Versatility has been his game since he was a third-round pick in 2016 out of Alabama, where he played with Colts Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly.
"He was just in such a multi-faceted role at ‘Bama: He was a kick returner, a punt returner, kind of played receiver, some running back, jet sweep stuff," Kelly said. "The guy has been through the ringer. I was there at Ole Miss when he snapped his ankle. I was there when shattered his radioulnar. That's guy's been through the (expletive) and he's been through the ringer and he keeps coming out the other side and he keeps pushing it."
For now, Drake will mix in with sixth-round rookie Evan Hull and third-year undrafted free agent Deon Jackson in an offense that will be run-heavy with Richardson still developing as a passer. The Colts hope they can get Moss back by the season opener, and they also want Taylor to come back into the fold.
When Taylor returns will decide much for the other backs, but Drake's experience and track record in this type of scheme gives him an edge over the other options. But he knows he has to prove that still. He's not doing it for the money at this point, as he's made $25.2 million in his career but now is playing for prove-it pay.
"I know people always love counting people's pockets, but I've made a good amount of money playing this game," Drake said. "I have a good foundation to continue to live the life I want to live with myself and my family, but I still love this game. I want to go out here and prove I can still be a valuable option."
He put himself through his own version of training camp near his home in Las Vegas in hopes of landing one more opportunity like this.
"What's that Drake quote?" he said, and it became clear that he's talking about the artist and not himself.
"'The moment I stop having fun with it I'll be done with it.'"
Contact Colts insider Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Kenyan Drake quotes Drake as he searches for fire to ignite RB battle
