Zonovan Knight

AFC Notes: Raiders, Pats, Jets, Bengals

As we inch closer to the start of the regular season, the Raiders‘ eventual 53-man roster is starting to come into focus. Two players in particular appear to be securing their positions for the team’s lineup come Week 1, according to Tashan Reed of The Athletic.

Wide receiver DeAndre Carter has definitely taken advantage of his opportunities throughout camp this preseason. In the team’s second preseason game, Carter started in the slot in place of Hunter Renfrow, who sat out for the game. He didn’t put up notable stats from the position, but he really shined in a special teams role. He had a strong opening kick return and was inches away from a punt return for a touchdown, as well. The coaches’ faith in him to start in place of Renfrow combined with his return ability has virtually cemented his spot on the roster, according to Reed.

Another player on the rise is veteran guard Greg Van Roten, who seems to have surpassed Alex Bars for the starting job at right guard. Van Roten started the team’s most recent preseason game at right guard for a single series before being replaced by Bars, signifying the changing of the guard, pun not intended. Bars, who started most of last season for the team at right guard, may be in danger of failing to make the 53-man roster if he keeps sliding down the depth chart.

Here are a few more roster rumors from around the league as the preseason begins its close:

  • The Patriots have struggled as of late with drafting wide receivers. They’re looking to buck that trend this season. In a room that was originally looking weak when the team missed out on free agent De’Andre Hopkins, New England is newly flushed with possibilities. The team lacks elite top end talent, but behind JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker, the Patriots have a surprising number of options. Kendrick Bourne has seemingly secured a role as the team’s third wideout with a great camp, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe, and behind Bourne, rookie sixth-round picks Demario Douglas and Kayshon Boutte have made strong cases for roster spots themselves with impressive camps. Even undrafted rookie quarterback Malik Cunningham has reportedly shown enough versatility and promise on offense and special teams to make a case for a roster spot.
  • With the recent acquisition of free agent Dalvin Cook, the Jets top-two running backs are clear as day, but in the process, the extra body has made things a bit crowded in the position room. Brian Costello of the New York Post believes that rookie fifth-round pick Israel Abanikanda is likely safe, leading to a battle for the likely last roster spot between Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight. Seemingly, Carter is safe. He’s got more starting experience on the team than Knight and didn’t suit up for the Jets’ most recent preseason game, a likely indication that the coaches have seen what they need to see. Knight played last week and fumbled. He’s had good moments throughout training camp, but his future may lie on the practice squad this season.
  • The Bengals have a clear TE1 and a likely TE2 coming into the end of the preseason in Irv Smith Jr. and Drew Sample, but there’s a chance that TE3 isn’t on the roster, according to The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. Last season’s TE3 Mitchell Wilcox has a decent shot at a roster spot, as does the undersized Tanner Hudson, who has impressed with some nice hands throughout camp. Devin Asiasi, Nick Bowers, and Christian Trahan remain as options, as well, but don’t have the strongest chances at a roster spot. Dehner predicts that Cincinnati may take to the open market after cut day, aiming to pull in any of several experienced tight ends that may find themselves on the roster bubble.

Jets Set To Hold RB2 Battle

The Jets are working with a deep, young running backs room, forcing each back to prove his mettle early and often. Michael Carter answered that call as a fourth-round rookie in 2021. Last year was supposed to be the takeover of rookie second-round pick Breece Hall, but a torn ACL ended his season after only seven weeks. Hall should return to the starting role, but with their No. 1 coming back from a serious injury, the RB2 spot becomes that much more important.

Despite falling off a bit in production last season after a strong rookie year, Carter is currently in line to enter training camp as the No. 2 back, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Carter started 11 games in his rookie year, racking up 639 rushing yards and four touchdowns, along with 325 yards receiving. He had seized a lead-back role, and many expected him to take a step forward in his sophomore season. This led to a bit of a surprise when New York took Hall 36th overall in last year’s draft.

Carter started off the 2022 season splitting carries with Hall but taking the majority of the workload. Eventually, Hall took the reins and became a bell-cow back for the four remaining healthy games of his season. Hall’s injury opened the door for Carter to return to the spotlight. Instead, Carter’s usage stayed stagnant as backs like James Robinson and Ty Johnson were given opportunities to split the load with him. Eventually, undrafted rookie Zonovan Knight was elevated from the practice squad and took the majority of the carriers for the final seven weeks of the season.

Knight should be one of Carter’s competitors for the primary backup role. Knight came in last year and, over his first four games, ran the ball 59 times for 253 yards, ending his season with 300 total rushing yards and a touchdown. Costello posits that Carter’s confidence was shaken a bit when the team traded for Robinson and then turned to Knight. Regardless, Knight outperformed Carter in that final stretch of the season, and if that’s any indication of how the position battle will go, Carter has his work cut out for him.

The other name competing for the spot is a newcomer. The Jets selected Pittsburgh running back Israel Abanikanda in the fifth-round of the draft this year. Abanikanda declared for the draft after a breakout junior year in which he rushed for 1,431 yards for an incredible 20 rushing touchdowns for the Panthers. He’ll be green to the game at the professional level, but he’s got plenty of tread left on the tires after only starting 17 games in his college career.

Carter should have a bit of a leg up on Knight and Abanikanda. He has more experience than Knight and Abanikanda to begin with. He also offers a bit more to his game. Throughout their careers, both college and NFL for Knight, the two younger backs have not had near the success receiving out of the backfield as Carter has. Carter’s ability to catch the ball may have pigeon-holed him into a third-down back role only in some situations, but combined with his early success rushing the football in New York, it should set him up nicely for a solid chance to regain his footing as the team’s No. 2 back.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/25/22

Today’s minor transactions:

Carolina Panthers

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/22

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Houston Texans

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/6/22

Here are today’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/5/22

Today’s minor moves around the NFL:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Shemar Bridgers

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Waived: CB Allan George
  • Reverted to active roster: S Jessie Bates

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

  • Waived: RB Sandro Platzgummer

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

Nixon generated significant draft buzz after his college career at Iowa. His final season with the Hawkeyes in 2020 included 5.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss, though he fell to the fifth round that year. He played sparingly as a rookie, and has met injury troubles early in his pro career. Despite the move, Carolina has a number of options to call on in a rotational role behind Derrick Brown and Matt Ioannidis

The roster cutting by the Bengals was necessary with today being the time at which Bates’ time on the Commissioner’s Exempt List expired. The franchise-tagged safety was the final holdout of the 2022 offseason, inking his tender long past the deadline for a long-term deal to be finalized. Fully back to team practices and activities, Bates’ time on the list allowed him to ramp up at his own rate following a lengthy absence throughout the spring and summer.

Lancaster was one of several additions the Raiders made on the d-line during free agency. The former UDFA spent the first four years of his career in Green Bay, registering 10 starts in 2019. Other signings such as Bilal Nichols and Andrew Billings will see plenty of playing time along the defensive interior in his absence.

Jets Cut Roster Down To 53

The Jets got a head start on reducing the roster yesterday, finishing the job with a number of moves today. Here are those moves that brought them down to 53 players:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/injured:

New York has done a good job with their rookie class with every drafted rookie making the final 53. The Jets even were able to find spots on the roster for two of the six undrafted free agents they signed. Running back Zonovan Knight and safety Tony Adams will start the season on the roster after going undrafted out of NC State and Illinois, respectively.

The Jets will enter the season with three quarterbacks on the roster as second-year quarterback Zach Wilson will be backed up by veterans Joe Flacco and Mike White.

Lawrence Cager returned this offseason to the team that signed him after going undrafted out of Georgia in 2020. After spending two seasons attempting to make rosters as a wide receiver, the 6-foot-5 Cager bulked up in an attempt to transition to tight end. It appears that the position change is working so far as Cager will start the season on an active roster for the first time in his career.

New York will have a chance to make moves necessary to form their 16-man practice squad tomorrow. Any players cut today who have not vested will have to clear waivers before returning to the Jets.

Jets Sign 5 Undrafted Free Agents

May 9, 9:20pm: The Jets added another UDFA following their rookie tryouts this weekend, signing wide receiver Calvin Jackson Jr. out of Washington State.

May 6, 4:30pm: The Jets announced a thin UDFA class Friday. Here are the initial undrafted talents Joe Douglas‘ team is bringing in:

Thomas will collect $130K guaranteed, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Playing five seasons with the mid-major program, Thomas showed versatility by delivering quality production as a tackler and a pass rusher. The 216-pound hybrid player put together two 70-plus-tackle/five-plus-sack seasons (2018 and 2021) and finished his college career with 53 tackles for loss. Although undersized, Thomas will head to the Jets with one of the more interesting athletic profiles of this year’s UDFA crop.

The Jets gave Adams a $110K guarantee, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Adams was the first Illinois true freshman to start a season opener since Vontae Davis in 2006. The Lovie Smith-led staff converted him from cornerback to safety. Charles’ college career dates back to 2015, when he went to Penn State as a four-star recruit. At Division II Indiana (Pa.) last season, Charles caught 39 passes for 792 yards and 12 touchdowns. Knight is the only player in Wolfpack history to return three kickoffs for touchdowns, finishing as a first-team All-ACC returner last season.