Kenyan Drake‘s season ended a bit early when he suffered a broken leg in December. While the Raiders running back wasn’t cleared for minicamp last month, he’s optimistic he’ll be on the field for the start of training camp.
“I’m definitely going to be ready for camp,” Drake said during a recent appearance on the Silver and Black Pride podcast (via NFL.com’s Kevin Patra). “It’s not going to be full speed ahead once I get into camp, but for the regular season, I’m going to be definitely ready to go.
“A couple of preseason games or however I feel need to kind of get back into football shape. But really I’m excited about the opportunity to kind of get back on the field. I’ve been hurt for the [majority] of seven months now. … So I feel great just working through the things that you usually go through when you’re coming off a major injury and just ready to kind of get back on the field. It’s not my first rodeo.”
Vic Tafur and Tashan Reed of The Athletic recently echoed this sentiment, writing that Drake was “progressing nicely.” However, the duo didn’t necessarily say the RB would be ready for the start of training camp, instead writing that Drake was expected back “before the end of camp.”
Drake joined the Raiders last offseason on a two-year deal. He saw time in 12 games during his first season with Vegas, collecting 545 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns on 93 touches. While he didn’t get a whole lot of carries thanks to Josh Jacobs, he still contributed in the passing game, hauling in 30 catches. If Drake is forced to miss some time during training camp, rookies Zamir White (fourth round) and Brittain Brown (seventh round) could see increased reps. The Raiders are also rostering veterans Brandon Bolden and Ameer Abdullah behind Jacobs and Drake.