Tag: Zonovan Knight

Three running backs the Detroit Lions could sign after cut day

Three running backs the Detroit Lions could sign after cut day from Lions Wire’s Russell Brown

One of the more surprising developments from the Detroit Lions roster after cut-day in the NFL is how lopsided their roster is. There’s a plethora of names on the defense but the offense doesn’t have enough players for a second team.

Something to note for Lions fans is that it’s not uncommon for a team to do this. Most of the time, it’s because an organization has their eyes on one or two offensive players that could contribute. For Detroit, that could be the case.

When you look at how their defensive line depth chart takes shape, they could still look to move a player or two and that would open up those roster spots on offense. On the defensive line, they could still be looking to trade either one of the Okwara brothers or they could look to move a player such as Benito Jones. Having seven edge rushers and five defensive tackles is surprising for an offense that could use another playmaker out of the backfield or at wide receiver.

After the Lions announced their 53-man roster, it was surprising to see that they only had two running backs (David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs) and a fullback (Jason Cabinda) listed on the depth chart. Last year, the Lions had four running backs on the roster and that didn’t include Cabinda.

However, two of the running backs on last years roster (Craig Reynolds and Jermar Jefferson) could make it to the practice squad and if they move a defensive player, one of them could make it back to the roster.

That said, could the Lions look to add one of the running backs that were cut this week as teams across the NFL trimmed their roster from 90 players to 53 players?

That’s what I envision the Detroit Lions doing. Now the question is who could they be prepared to add at the running back position? Here’s three running back the Lions could consider adding for their 53-man roster:

Zonovan “Bam” Knight

This will be a player that will be at the top of the list for plenty of teams in the NFL. That’s why it was surprising to see the New York Jets move on from Knight without trading him but maybe their asking price was too high. Either way, the Lions could very well be interested in the talented back who went undrafted out of N.C. State in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Last season as a rookie, Knight ran for 300 yards with a touchdown and he added 13 receptions for 100 yards. At 5’10” and 209 pounds, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds and he had a 3-cone drill time of 6.95 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine.

The Lions are familiar with Knight as they limited him to only 23 yards on 13 carries last season during their week 15 battle. Prior to that game, Knight had averaged 77 rushing yards per game for the Jets. Regardless of his stat line versus the Lions, Knight showed his ability to be an effective pass-catcher while being able to run efficiently in a zone running scheme.

The most impressive stat for Knight is that he forced a broken tackle on 34% of his rushes last year and that was number one in the NFL. During training camp, reports came out of New York that Knight excels running behind a fullback and that he looked “like the best running back in camp.”

For Detroit, this would be a home run addition for what they do offensively and how it feels like they need to add a player to their backfield.

Tyler Badie

Badie is another one-year running back from the 2022 NFL Draft that has some potential. Now that’s simply based on the type of player he was for Missouri. One concern with Badie is that he’s searching for his third team in his second year and he’s only gotten one reception for 24 yards in his career.

The hope for a team like Detroit is that they’ve shown that they can tap into a player and pull some good from them. They’ve found ways to create competition and make the players on the roster better. Maybe they can tap into his 4.45 speed and find ways to get him the football. In his four years at Missouri, he averaged 5.3 yards per carry and he had 126 receptions.

We’ll see if the Lions spin the tires on this one but adding another player to their backfield seems likely. If they miss out on Knight and potentially other running backs, they could turn towards a player such as Badie.

John Kelly

On and off the Cleveland Browns practice squad the last two years, it’s hard to pinpoint what type of player John Kelly can be. One positive when looking at him is that Brad Holmes was with the Rams when Kelly got drafted in the 6th Round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

For Kelly, he’s been a part of some rosters that already have established running backs. With the Rams, he was behind Todd Gurley and Malcolm Brown. With the Browns, he was behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. Coming to Detroit to back up David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs is probably less than ideal for a player that’s searching for an opportunity.

However, Detroit presents an opportunity for a third running back. Especially if that running back comes in and works hard. While Kelly isn’t a speedster with his 40-yard dash time of 4.62 seconds, he was a physical runner in college at Tennessee. He shook off tacklers on just about every run, and he showed good lateral ability when cutting in the open field.

While signing John Kelly might not be splashy, it could still be a good move for both parties. After all, Kelly is an Oak Park, Michigan native who could look for one last hurrah in his hometown.

 

18 recently cut players the Colts should consider adding

The Colts will have plenty of options to choose from on the waiver wire.

The Indianapolis Colts officially set the initial 53-man roster before Tuesday’s deadline, but more changes to the group are expected to come.

With over 1,000 players being waived and released in one fell swoop Tuesday afternoon, the Colts will have a strong chance to claim as many players as they want from the waiver wire.

They hold the No. 4 spot in the order and there’s no limit to how many claims they make as long as they can make the corresponding moves to satisfy the 53-player limit.

General manager Chris Ballard is typically a pretty active member of the waiver wire the day following roster cuts.

Here are a few names the Colts should consider adding either through free agency or through the waiver wire:

Jets waive RB Zonovan Knight

Bam ends up the odd man out in the running back room.

We got our answer on which running back would be squeezed out for the Jets following the signing of Dalvin Cook. That will be Zonovan Knight. The second-year back was waived by the Jets as reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Jets have a room full of running backs including Cook, Breece Hall, Michael Carter and Israel Abanikanda. The first three were locks and the Jets weren’t giving up already on Abanikanda. That left Knight squarely on the roster bubble and he wound up on the wrong side of the bubble.

The Jets could potentially bring back Knight back on the practice squad but he’s also a candidate to be claimed off waivers and join another team.

Knight played in seven games last season and rushed for 300 yards on 85 carries. He was the third-leading rusher last season for the Jets behind Hall (463) and Carter (402).

6 Jets to watch in preseason Week 3 vs. Giants

Here are 6 players from the Jets to watch in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Giants.

The final week of the preseason is upon us and the New York Jets will square off against the New York Giants on Saturday. This will be the final tune-up game for the Jets as they embark on a season filled with lofty expectations upon the addition of four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.

As one of the teams that participated in the Hall of Fame Game this year, the Jets have produced a 1-2 record in their first three preseason matchups. Just last week, New York lost 13-6 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With the Jets playing more starters on Saturday against the Giants, here are six players to keep tabs on in the preseason finale.

Position questions still to be sorted out for Jets entering final week of camp

What needs to be sorted this week for the Jets?

The Jets have just one week of training camp and preseason left. They’ll face the New York Giants Saturday in what will also be a bit of a dress rehearsal and final tune-up for the regular season as Aaron Rodgers will play in his first preseason game since 2018.

Entering this final week, there are still a few questions at some positions left to be answered before the Jets make their cuts down to 53 players and truly begin preparing for the season opener against the Buffalo Bills on September 11. Let’s run through some of those questions here, starting with the quarterback position.

Stock up, stock down for Jets following preseason game vs. Buccaneers

Which bubble players helped or hurt their case Saturday?

The Jets have now played three preseason games following Saturday’s meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With final cuts just over a week away, a couple of players, especially those on the roster bubble, started making their final cases to be included on the 53-man roster. Following Saturday’s game, here are some players whose stocks went up and went down for the Jets.

Jets drop to 1-2 in preseason following 13-6 loss to Buccaneers

One preseason game left

The New York Jets dropped their second preseason game this summer after a 13-6 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Quarterback Zach Wilson went 9/13 for 70 yards and also led the team in rushing for the game with 41 yards on two attempts that included a nice 35-yard scramble. Tim Boyle, on the other hand, struggled and began raising questions about whether he will be the No. 3 quarterback moving forward. It’s possible, with how Wilson has progressed, the Jets only carry two quarterbacks.

Running back Zonovan Knight, battling for a roster spot, had eight rushes for 33 yards but also lost a fumble that could hurt his chances of making the 53. Rookie Israel Abanikanda had 30 yards on four attempts before leaving with an injury that was deemed a thigh contusion.

Wide receiver Jason Brownlee needed a good game to help build his chances back up and he did so with 50 yards on four catches (six targets). Brownlee lost some of the momentum he had built up over the spring and early summer so this was a much-needed boost for him with final cuts looming in a little over a week.

Safety Trey Dean, also fighting for a spot, led the team with ten tackles, three more than any other player. Recently-signed Jalyn Holmes recorded two sacks and Bryce Huff had one of his own.

The Jets have one more preseason game. That will come Saturday against the New York Giants. The regular season begins in about three weeks against the Buffalo Bills.

How Dalvin Cook impacts the running back depth chart for the Jets

Dalvin Cook makes the running back room very intriguing.

Dalvin Cook is coming to New York. The league’s worst-kept secret finally came to fruition Monday when reports came out that the team had agreed to sign the former Vikings running back to a one-year deal.

So a question now is how is the depth chart affected going forward with Cook now in the mix? One way to answer that is by looking at Cook and Breece Hall as 1A and 1B in any particular order, especially now that Hall is off the physically unable to perform list and can practice again.

The Jets had wanted to ease Hall back into action coming off his ACL injury in October and the Cook interest and eventual signing helped reiterate that point. But now that Hall is able to practice, that is all the better news for the Jets to start using their new 1-2 punch.

So what about the rest of the running back room? You can argue Zonovan Knight has had a better summer and preseason thus far than Michael Carter. Similar to Hall and Cook, perhaps Carter and Knight could be considered 2A and 2B (or 3A and 3B depending on how you define it).

Both still seem in line to make the 53, but maybe it’s not as much of a guarantee as it was before the weekend.

Then there’s rookie Israel Abanikanda, who has shown flashes through the first two preseason games and is becoming a tough cut for the Jets. If they cut him, he’s going to get scooped up by another team. He’s likely still behind the top four, but as referenced before, maybe we can’t rule out the possibility that the team cuts either Carter or Knight — Carter would probably be more likely to get cut than Knight.

We also can’t forget about fullback Nick Bawden, who has been involved often in camp and has been penciled in on many projected rosters. The Jets like what they see out of the fullback and can use him in multiple ways. If anything, Bawden would be among the last players in or out when final cuts come around.

So we could be looking at something like this as the depth chart:

1A. Dalvin Cook

1B. Breece Hall

2A. Michael Carter

2B. Zonovan Knight

3. Israel Abanikanda

FB: Nick Bawden

A player, too, like Travis Dye would also make a good practice squad candidate for the Jets. He had some good work against the Panthers on Saturday.

On paper, the Jets look to have a crowded running back room, but that is meant in a good way. They could have some awfully tough decisions to make in the next few weeks.

Aidan Hutchinson earns a place in the NFL Top 100 after his rookie season

Hutchinson is already earning respect around the league after just one season

Just one season into the NFL and the Detroit Lions Aidan Hutchinson has already made an impact. While he was expected to be an immediate impact player, I don’t think anyone could predict it would go this well for him in year one.

Drafted as the number two overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Hutchinson registered 9.5 sacks while having 9 tackles for loss and 15 QB hits in 17 games. He also became the fifth player and first rookie with three interceptions and nine-plus sacks since individual sacks were officially tracked in 1982, per NFL research.

Every NFL off-season, the NFL has the players in the league vote on who the top-100 players in the league are. For Hutchinson, he was voted as the 88th best player in the NFL from his peers.

As of now, Hutchinson is the only player from the Detroit Lions on the top-100 list. However, there’s only been the players ranked from 100th to 81st overall revealed. Former Lions running back Jamaal Williams was listed as the 95th overall player. We very well could see Hutchinson’s teammates such as Penei Sewell, Frank Ragnow and Amon-Ra St. Brown on the list.

During the reveal of Hutchinson as the 88th overall player in the top-100, here’s a few things that were said about him from players around the league:

  • “As the seasons progress, you start to see him get better and better. Both in the pass-rush game and in the run game as well.” – Eagles OT Lane Johnson
  • “Some people have, just, that they were born with it. The natural thing that you’re born with. He’s definitely one of those guys that were born with it.” – Saints IOL Cesar Ruiz
  • “I think he’s definitely proved a lot of people wrong.” – Cowboys LB Micah Parsons
  • “I’ll be the first to admit that he was basically playing in our entire backfield when we played them. He’s that type of player.” – Jets RB Zonovan Knight

You can see the full clip of Hutchinson’s reveal into the NFL Top-100 Players below:

 

Fantasy Football: 7 utilization stats to know from Week 16

Here are the top fantasy football utilization stats you need to know from Week 16 of the 2022 NFL season.

Here are the top fantasy football utilization stats you need to know from Week 16 of the 2022 NFL season before you make any waiver-wire claims this week.