Getty New York Jets running back Zonovan "Bam" Knight carries the ball during the 2022 regular season.
The NFL operates on a short-term memory — an unfortunate reality for most players.
The perfect example of this harsh truth might occur for New York Jets second-year running back Zonovan “Bam” Knight in 2023. According to NYJ beat reporter Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic on June 20, the popular 2022 UDFA breakout “was banged up in OTAs and didn’t really practice.”
Knight also finished his rookie campaign with a four-game slump after three standout performances from Week 12 through 14. In Week 15, the N.C. State product averaged just 1.77 yards per carry, followed by negative yardage in Week 16 and two more lackluster outings to end the year (high of 3.38 yards per carry over the final four weeks).
Now, part of this drop-off was likely due to an injury-ravaged offensive line, but undrafted athletes don’t always get the same benefit of the doubt that others do. Rosenblatt agreed, concluding that Knight “will still be fighting for a roster spot” in 2023.
2 Rookies Pose Threat to Zonovan ‘Bam’ Knight in Training Camp
First things first, Knight has to get himself onto the field if he’s going to make the 53-man roster in year two. It’s unclear what’s been ailing him this spring, but hopefully he’s good to go at the start of training camp.
The other issue is competition. The Jets drafted Pittsburgh RB Israel Abanikanda in the fifth round this April. They also signed USC ball-carrier Travis Dye as another UDFA.
“The fifth-round pick has the explosiveness and home-run ability to make an impact right away, and I think he will,” Rosenblatt voiced regarding Abanikanda. “There wasn’t much to evaluate in OTAs — the Jets didn’t run the ball much in team drills — so the real evaluation will come in training camp.”
On Dye, the media member simply noted “some quality reps” with Knight and Breece Hall sidelined during OTAs. “He can at least fight his way onto the practice squad,” Rosenblatt added.
There’s also a former fourth-round selection in Michael Carter, who’s looking for a bounce back in year three, and Hall — the unquestioned starter, once healthy. It does help that veteran core special teamer and reserve RB Ty Johnson was released with a non-football injury.
Knight has one other factor on his side too. Hall could miss time to start the 2023 regular season if the Jets choose to ease him back from a torn ACL last October. Should that occur, they’d have to be really confident in both Abanikanda and Dye in order to cut Knight — who has already proven he can handle the bright lights of an NFL game.
That gives him the clear leg up over Dye, assuming the Jets keep four half-backs this summer.
Pre-Draft Scouting on Jets UDFA RB Travis Dye
Dye has flown under the radar in this 2023 UDFA class. After suffering a season-ending leg injury with USC last November, the Pac-12 playmaker has battled his way back in time for offseason workouts with the Jets.
The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs called him “super productive” with the Trojans, but added that “he likely falls into the bucket of devalued runners upon a pro transition.”
Reasoning: “Dye’s high-cut build and lack of mass will make consistently pushing piles and falling forward on contact a challenge at the next level… I did not see consistent long-speed on film, either. He’s a slasher capable of chunk gains but as foot races extend past 20-30 yards, I thought he was challenged from behind by pursuit.”
Later, he went on, stating: “Dye has not shown NFL contact balance and as a result, he’s very likely going to depend on the wins of his line up front to ensure he’s gaining yards. This isn’t a back I foresee creating a lot of extra yardage on his own.”
Crabbs did admit there’s a “third-down skill set present here,” which the Jets coaching staff saw from Dye at OTAs, mixing him in with Aaron Rodgers and Zach Wilson during the passing camp. The draft expert labeled him a “natural pass-catcher” in that regard — with some early development in pass protection as well.
“I think he has the rushing instincts to be a rostered NFL running back,” Crabbs concluded ahead of the draft, “but his lack of physical skills poses a challenge for him pushing into a significant role. He’d most likely need injuries to push him into an elevated playing position at the NFL level.”
Just to provide a second opinion, NFL Network scouting expert Lance Zierlein pegged Dye as a priority free agent, which he was.
He wrote the following for Dye’s player overview: “Instinctive runner with modest size who finds ways to squeeze the most he can out of almost every run. Dye runs with the pace, vision and change-of-direction talent to dart through run lanes and he resets his travel plans according to the flow of the defense. He’s efficient but lacked functional speed and explosiveness in his pro-day testing. Dye’s third-down value helps his chances, but he might have to fight for a spot as an undrafted free agent.”
