Running back Kenyan Drake didn’t go long without a team after being released by the Cleveland Browns.
Drake joined the Green Bay Packers practice squad on Tuesday, December 5. The Packers are his fifth team of the season. Following the move, the running back quipped on social media that his “North American tour” would continue.
Drake signed with the Green Bay Packers practice squad on Tuesday, December 5. The Packers are his fifth team of the season. The running back joked on social media after the move that his “North American tour” is pushing forward.
Drake signed with the Browns practice squad on October 31. The team had some injury concerns with Kareem Hunt and Jerome Ford and brought Drake in as insurance. However, he never suited up for Cleveland and was released on November 28. The Browns re-signed John Kelly to take Drake’s spot on the practice squad.
At the time of his signing, Drake was an interesting addition for the Browns. He is in his eighth season out of Alabama and has played in 103 games with 44 starts. He’s compiled 868 carries for 3,866 yards and 33 touchdowns.
But the Browns feel comfortable going forward with the trio of Ford, Hunt and Pierre Strong Jr. Ford has been the lead back, with Hunt handling the short-yardage work. As a team, the Browns are averaging 135.1 yards on the ground per game — good for seventh in the NFL.
That’s quite the achievement considering the team lost Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb for the season in Week 2. The Browns had relied heavily on Chubb since he arrived in Cleveland back in 2018 as a second-round pick. He rushed for 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. It was his fourth consecutive season rushing for over 1,000 yards, and his career 5.3 per carry average is among the league’s elite.
Browns Run Game Struggled Against Rams
The Browns have been able to get some decent performances out of their running backs this season but the unit struggled against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday during a 36-19 loss.
The Browns managed just 87 yards and 3.8 yards per carry against the Rams.
“We’re always just trying to move the ball any which way we can. Felt like there were some opportunities in the run game,” Browns head coach and offensive play-caller Kevin Stefanski said on Monday, December 4. “I think it was tough sledding early, but it opened up there in the second half and I think we’ll just continue to look at ways that we can be explosive as an offense.”
Browns QB Joe Flacco Reverts to Practice Squad
The lack of a consistent run game didn’t do any favors for quarterback Joe Flacco, who was making his first start for the Browns. But the veteran passer shined against the Rams, completing 23-of-44 of his passes for 254 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
A costly fourth-quarter interception ruined what was otherwise a solid day for the 38-year-old QB.
Despite Flacco’s strong showing, the Browns have yet to commit to him as the starter going forward. Flacco reverted to the practice squad on Monday and Stefanski wasn’t ready to name his starting QB.
“I’m not going to get into those types of things on Monday,” Stefanski said. “We’ll work through that.”
Flacco can still be called up from the practice squad two more times. Rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson is still in concussion protocol and the other option for the Browns would be PJ Walker.
J.R. DeGroote covers the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com. He covered local and statewide sports as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and has decades of experience in digital media with previous stops at SB Nation and Bleacher Report. He has won multiple state, regional and national honors for sports reporting and photography. More about J.R. DeGroote
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