Update (10 a.m. ET): According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, the Ravens hosted Kenyan Drake on Tuesday and the former Baltimore Ravens running back has been joined by fellow veteran rushers Ronald Jones (released by the Cowboys on Monday) and James Robinson (released by the Giants last month) for some workouts on Wednesday, Sept. 20.
Ravens are taking a look at some veteran RBs today. Along with Kenyan Drake, Ronald Jones and James Robinson are in for workouts, per sources.
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) September 20, 2023
What if we were focusing on the wrong player? What if we were all wrong and fooled into believing a no-story when the Baltimore Ravens were actually working on finalizing a completely different, under-the-radar deal involving their backfield?
That could very well be the case, as reports emerged on Tuesday about the interest of Baltimore in ostracised running back Cam Akers of the Los Angeles Rams... only for Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic to come out of the blue revealing that the Flock was hosting another veteran for a visit.
According to Zrebiec, Baltimore hosted former Ravens rusher Kenyan Drake for a workout on Tuesday, although the bet reporter made clear that "nothing has been finalized yet" between player and franchise.
Looking to potentially add to their RB depth, Ravens will bring in Kenyan Drake, who played well for them last year, for a visit. At this point, nothing has been finalized yet. https://t.co/V7lCrr3X1W
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) September 19, 2023
Drake already played for Baltimore in 2022, racking up 482 yards and scoring four touchdowns through 12 games with the Ravens. The veteran 29-year-old rusher carried the rock 109 times last season while also hauling in 27 receptions (on 26 targets) for 89 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown.
A former Miami Dolphins third-round pick from the 2016 class of draftees, Drake has played for Miami, Arizona, and lastly Las Vegas before getting released by the Raiders and scooped up by Baltimore in 2022.
Drake was a break-in-case-of-emergency running back for the Ravens last season, and that could very well be his role with the team if he ends up getting signed. It's worth noting that the Ravens already signed a veteran to their roster/practice squad this summer Melvin Gordon III.
Gordon was activated ahead of Week 2 because of J.K. Dobbins' season-ending injury to build a three-man backfield along with Gus Edwards and Justice Hill, but the former Super Bowl champ didn't even take a single snap against the Bengals.
With Gordon in such a precarious position and Drake being a much more familiar face with experience in Baltimore, it's not wild to think about the Ravens deciding to part ways with MG3 in order to make room for Drake to join the team even as a borderline backup for the second consecutive season.
Edwards and Hill combined to rush for 103 yards in Week 2, the former scored a touchdown, and QB Lamar Jackson added 54 rushing yards himself on 12 carries against the Bengals.
The backfield is solid enough for the Ravens to go through the season without spending much capital in a free-agent addition or trading for a highly-coveted rusher, so getting Drake on a cheap deal might be a very optimal transaction.