Getty Chase Edmonds #29 of the Arizona Cardinals stiff arms Stephon Gilmore #24 of the New England Patriots.
With last year’s starter Kenyan Drake taking his talents to Las Vegas to play alongside Pro Bowler Josh Jacobs, the Arizona Cardinals seemingly have a hole atop their running back depth chart — or do they?
Soon-to-be fourth-year pro Chase Edmonds has shined in spot duty over his Arizona tenure. The dual-threat talent has averaged a hefty 4.85 yards per carry since 2019 and just this past season hauled in 53 receptions, good enough for third-most on the team. However, can Edmonds continue this type or trajectory with a larger workload? Head coach Kliff Kingsbury doesn’t see why not.
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Cardinals View Chase Edmonds as a ‘Bell Cow’ Back
“As far as Chase goes, you’ve seen when he’s had his opportunity, he’s played at a starting running back level,” Kingsbury said, via Pro Football Talk. “We all understand that he’s unfortunately been nicked up a couple times, which we want to keep him on the field. But we have all the confidence in the world in Chase and him being able to be the bell cow if that’s how this plays out.”
A former fourth-round pick out of Fordham, Edmonds has appeared in 45 games with the Cardinals, amassing 1,569 yards from scrimmage (959 rushing/602 receiving) and 12 total touchdowns on 302 touches (5.2 yards per touch average). As Kingsbury alluded to, the 5-foot-9-inch, 205-pound Edmonds has taken his fair share of bruises over the years. However, he’s actually been fairly dependable. In fact, he’s missed only three of his potential 48 games over his NFL career.
Edmonds is heading into the final year of his rookie contract. With a potential bell cow workload impending, the Pennsylvania native could be 12 months away from earning a payday similar to that of his former running mate’s.
Kenyan Drake Signs 2-Year Deal With Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders officially announced the signing of Drake on Friday. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Drake’s contract is a two-year deal worth $11 million — $3 million in 2021 and $8 million the following year. Drake could earn up to $14.5 million with another $3.5 million in incentives.
Drake posted career-highs across the board in Arizona last season, including carries (239), yards (955) and touchdowns (10), the latter of which ranked 10th in the entire league. The former third-round pick out of Alabama also chipped in with 25 receptions for 137 yards over his 15 games (13 starts).
However, despite his brilliance a season ago, Drake believes that a performance dating back to 2017 may have been what ultimately drew the interest of the Raiders and their head coach Jon Gruden.
In a Week 14 game against the New England Patriots, Drake carried his former team the Dolphins to a seven-point victory under the bright lights of Monday night. The running back posted 193 total yards in the outing, averaging an electrifying 6.4 yards per carry, all while Gruden watched on from the MNF booth.
“I felt like I performed at a high level,” Drake said in a video conference Friday, per The Mercury News. “He obviously had front row seats to that performance. Maybe that is something that spoke volumes. To have the opportunity to come and play for him and be used in his offense, I’m just excited and ready to get to work.”
Despite showing upside during his time in Miami, Drake’s up-and-down usage was not conducive to constant production. It wasn’t until his arrival in Arizona that the now 27-year-old began to truly flourish.
In 2019, during his first game with the Cardinals — just four days after being acquired in a trade from the Dolphins — Drake gutted the then-vaunted 49ers defense for 162 total yards. He’s rarely slowed down since. In 23 games with Arizona, Drake totaled 1,598 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. Both those numbers eclipsed his career output in Miami, despite the fact that they occurred over 31 fewer games.
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