Amid the uncertainty with Jonathan Taylor and a training camp injury, the Colts have added another name to their backfield.
Running back Kenyan Drake is signing with Indianapolis, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Friday, per Drake's agent.
Drake's acquisition is especially notable considering Taylor's trade request last week. Taylor, who is currently on the team's physically unable to perform list, has been the leading rusher for Indy since he joined the team in 2020, collecting a total of 3,841 yards in those three years. The league's rushing champion in 2021, Taylor has been looking for an extension ahead of this season, but he and the Colts do not appear to be on the same page, and Taylor is open to moving on to a new team.
Drake started his NFL career as a third-round pick for the Dolphins in 2016 and was a productive piece in his almost four years with the team. A career-high 955 rushing yards in 2020 with Arizona led to the back signing a two-year, $11 million deal with the Raiders in 2021, but after fracturing his ankle that year, Las Vegas released him. Drake was then picked up by the Ravens for a season, during which he finished with 482 rushing yards.
Now, Drake is on his way to his fifth team.
Drake will join a running back room in Indy that saw no RB other than Taylor record more than 365 yards last season. Zack Moss was the second-most productive back on the Colts roster in 2022, but his status for Week 1 is up in the air after he underwent surgery on a broken arm earlier this week. This leaves Deon Jackson, Jake Funk and rookies including fifth-round pick Evan Hull to round out the rushing unit alongside Drake.
With the uncertainty swirling over whether Taylor will be available for the start of the 2023 season, the team is adding a new piece to bring some depth to the unit.
