For much of the offseason, the chatter in Arizona Cardinals circles has been that James Conner’s status as the bell-cow back could be changing thanks to the emergence of second-year running back Trey Benson. But very little had been made of the rest of Arizona’s running back room until Zonovan “Bam” Knight surprisingly earned a roster spot.
Bam Knight’s involvement in the Cardinals offense will likely be limited, even after he busted off a 67-yard touchdown run in Arizona’s preseason finale versus the Las Vegas Raiders. Understandably though, the assumption among members of the media was that this run may have been what convinced Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon and the rest of his staff to keep Knight on the 53-man roster.
But on August 27, Gannon made it clear it wasn’t just this lengthy scamper that earned Knight his roster spot. There was plenty more that went into the decision, and his explanation could be used as a reminder to members of the media — like myself — who tend to overreact to one play, one series or one game in the preseason.
“Probably a media creation. Every day is evaluated,” Gannon responded when asked if a player like Bam Knight making a late push for a roster spot is something real that happens or a media creation.
Gannon went onto explain exactly what he saw from Bam Knight throughout the summer that allowed him to edge out guys like Michael Carter and Deejay Dallas for the final spot in the room.
“Throughout the course of training camp, he does what he’s coached to do. He’s a good runner. I like where he’s at,” Gannon added. His role is kinda still being defined as we speak, putting everybody together. But he did a lot of good things. We felt really good about keeping him.”
So, Who is Bam Knight?
Good question! I’m going to tell you all that you need to know about one of the newest members of the Arizona Cardinals in just five Roman numerals.
I. The first thing I wanted to know was how Zonovan Knight got himself the nickname ‘Bam.’ It didn’t take me long to find an answer. I’ll let the man himself explain it:
Maybe I’m wrong, but I think Bam’s uncle is a fan of The Flintstones.
II. After a productive high school career in North Carolina, Bam Knight stayed in the Tar Heel State and was comically consistent in his three seasons at NC State. Check these numbers out…
Freshman Year: 136 carries for 745 yards and 5 touchdowns
Sophomore Year: 143 carries for 788 yards and 10 touchdowns
Junior Year: 140 carries for 753 yards and 3 touchdowns
Apparently Bam Knight was the Tim Duncan of above average ACC running backs.
III. After going undrafted, Knight had a cup of coffee as the New York Jets’ starting running back during the 2022 season. He finished his rookie year with 85 carries for 300 yards and 1 touchdown. He also added 13 receptions for 100 yards in the passing game.
IV. After his rookie season, Knight has logged only 3 carries for 13 yards, all of which came for the Detroit Lions during the 2023 season. He spent the last two months of the 2024 season on the Jets‘ practice squad before signing with the Cardinals in January 2025.
V. As for the aforementioned preseason breakthrough, here were Knight’s final numbers in three preseason games….12 rushes for 118 yards and a touchdown, plus 16 special teams snaps including one kickoff return for 27 yards.
Bam Knight’s 67-Yard Touchdown Wasn’t What Earned Him Roster Spot, Per Jonathan Gannon