To this point on August 12, the New York Jets have stood pat at the running back position despite the uncertainty surrounding Breece Hall.
That’s not to say the front office has been completely stationary on this front. Dalvin Cook stopped by for an official team visit in late July, and the Jets have been loosely connected to Ezekiel Elliott throughout the offseason.
So, what becomes of the RB room if a veteran like Cook or Elliott enters the fold? The Athletic’s NYJ correspondent Zack Rosenblatt shed some light on the situation on August 7 — after predicting that Hall, Zonovan Knight, Michael Carter, Israel Abanikanda and fullback Nick Bawden would make the Week 1 roster at the position as it’s currently constructed.
“The calculus here would change if the Jets do ultimately sign Dalvin Cook, but for now, that’s not what I’m predicting,” Rosenblatt preluded, adding: “If that did happen, Carter’s roster security may look a bit more … wobbly.”
“Knight has been the Jets’ best running back in camp and Abanikanda brings an explosiveness that Carter doesn’t,” he explained. “Bawden has been getting a lot more work than I expected and [offensive coordinator Nathaniel] Hackett has historically used fullbacks in his offense.”
Jets RB Michael Carter Needs to Prove Himself During Preseason Opportunities
Neither Carter nor Knight played against the Cleveland Browns during the Hall of Fame game — which should be viewed as a positive for their job security. Having said that, the former has a lot more to prove considering his shaky training camp that has followed a rough sophomore campaign.
If Carter does suit up versus the Carolina Panthers, he’ll have an opportunity to convince general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh that the Jets do not need a vet. Of course, a poor effort could also have the opposite effect.
The Jets have plenty of cap space to work with at a little over $16.2 million according to Over the Cap. That ranks 11th in the NFL on August 12.
In other words, they have the financial breathing room to sign another running back, which would likely cost anywhere from $2 to $7 million — depending on who they target. Cook is obviously the cream of the crop, but there are a couple of low-cost options that could fill the role too.
Either way, preseason Week 2 and 3 should be another big test for the RB unit and if Carter truly is on the bottom, that statement means even more for his future.
Rosenblatt Highlights Jets RB Zonovan Knight Once Again for ‘Really Good Camp’
Rosenblatt spoke highly of Knight on August 7, but he reiterated that opinion on August 11.
“Zonovan Knight has had a really good camp — he’s quite clearly been [the Jets’] best RB,” the NYJ beat writer voiced during a post wrapping up Carolina joint practices. Rosenblatt even added that he doesn’t think Gang Green is “in a particular rush to sign Dalvin Cook” given how well the former undrafted ball-carrier has been playing.
To be fair, Rosenblatt isn’t the only person covering the Green & White that’s been high on Knight this spring and summer. Jets X-Factor film analyst Michael Nania called the NC State product the franchise’s 19th best player on the entire roster ahead of training camp on July 5.
During the same article, he boldly predicted that Knight would finish the season as the Jets’ clear RB2 behind Hall. The data supports this theory too.
On May 5, The Jet Press shared a chart from Pro Football Focus listing 2022’s top 50 running backs with their broken tackle and explosive run rate side-by-side. “The Jets literally had the most explosive RB (Breece Hall) and the best tackle breaker at RB (Zonovan Knight) last year,” The Jet Press pointed out.
The #Jets literally had the most explosive RB (Breece Hall) and the best tackler breaker at RB (Zonovan Knight) last year.
This is really cool chart from PFF.
In 80 carries, Hall posted a broken tackle rate of 20.0% with an explosive run rate of 18.8%. In 85 carries, Knight went 34.1% and 8.2%.
For comparison, Carter finished with 22.8% and 6.1% (114 carries), respectively, and Cook scored a 19.2% and 11.3% over 265 carries. The worst by far within this discussion was Elliott, who broke 13.0% of tackles with 7.4% explosiveness over 231 carries.
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Jets RB Could Be Odd Man Out If Team Signs Veteran: Insider