Zonovan “Bam” Knight’s Play is solidifying his future with the Jets even though throughout the Jets’ 7-5 season the storylines have been elsewhere. The rookie trio of Breece Hall, Sauce Gardner, and Garrett Wilson all showed their superstar potential at different points of the year. The massive amounts of injuries to the offensive line, such as Mekhi Becton, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Max Mitchell. The team moved to Mike White after Zach Wilson’s failures to live up to expectations and keep the locker room in favor of him.

Yet out of all these storylines that have unfolded in the Jets’ best season in recent memory, the best one may be the sudden arrival of Zonovan “Bam” Knight.

A UDFA signing for the Jets after this past year’s draft, Knight played his college years at N.C State. Knight had 2,286 rushing yards in three seasons on 419 carries. He had 18 rushing touchdowns and averaged 5.5 yards per carry, while also adding 337 receiving yards in his college career.

Knight, while at N.C State, displayed an ability to get from north to south while carrying the ball. He was a decisive downhill runner, while also displaying good burst and agility. Knight also displayed both the ability to catch the ball and be an adequate blocker in the passing game. Knight also provided special teams value, returning kicks and punts in his last two seasons and accounting for 3 total special teams touchdowns.

Despite the production and traits, Knight was not selected in the 2022 NFL Draft and became a free agent. He then signed with the Jets, joining a backfield with fellow rookie Breece Hall, Michael Carter, and Ty Johnson. Knight had a shot to make the roster over Tevin Coleman and La’Mical Perine if he could translate the talent that allowed him to have success in college.

That is exactly what Knight proceeded to do in training camp and the preseason. He looked shifty, fast, and explosive while consistently getting downhill in the running game. Knight stood out when compared to the other running backs he was competing against, matching Perine’s strength while also exceeding Coleman’s burst and speed. Through his consistent performances, Knight beat out the other two running backs and made the active roster out of camp. He was then moved to the practice squad heading into the regular season and was called up to the active roster on October 25th.

Knight was inactive until the Jets’ Week 12 matchup against the Bears, and he has made the most of his opportunity. Knight has gone over 100 yards from scrimmage in both games, having 103 yards against the Bears and 118 yards against the Vikings.

He immediately passed the eye test, showing off explosiveness and burst while getting downhill in the running game. Those traits have also translated to the receiving game, as Knight has shown an ability to quickly transition from the catch to run and accelerate quickly. The stats back this up as well, as he is averaging 5.5 yards per carry, 7.8 yards per target, and has forced 15 missed tackles.

Zonovan “Bam” Knight’s Play is Solidifying His Future with the Jets

Knight’s performance has caught the eye of head coach Robert Saleh, as he said that the rookie running back is “not going anywhere.” He also spoke about what Knight has brought to the Jets offense.

“Bam, what he’s shown is that he’s got juice as we talked about. I think his GPS hit 4.39 on that long run on the sideline — just pure gas. This time of year when legs get heavy and you got a guy who can clock that on the GPS, it’s going to show differently, which I think it does. He runs with a physical mindset. He’s hungry. He’s young. He runs violently. When he turns a corner and sticks his foot in the ground, it’s special.

Knight spoke about what it felt like to hear he had earned a role on the Jets’ offense moving forward.

“It’s definitely an honor. Like I told them last week when I was doing interviews, it was a blessing to even be able to suit up. It’s been a long season, you know, not being able to play early on and stuff. So trust in God’s plan and just keep your head up and keep working. So like, it’s good to see that everything is finally coming together and paying off.”

Knight’s emergence comes at a time when the Jets need it most, as the team is heading into an important stretch run to compete for a playoff spot. Unlike most of the running backs on the team’s roster, Knight brings the downhill, north-to-south running style that was lost when Breece Hall got injured. Combined with Michael Carter and Ty Johnson, the Jets have a nice variety of running backs to utilize alongside weapons like Garrett Wilson and Elijah Moore.

With many important matchups coming up, Knight has the opportunity to improve on his fast start and continue to look like a diamond in the rough for the team’s 2022 draft class. If he continues to play at the level that he has shown in his first two games, Knight will not only build on his standing as a weapon for the Jets but will make himself a key part of the Jets’ offense in years to come.