Jets Bring Back Conor McDermott; Waive Zonovan Knight

The Jets have announced the re-signing of backup offensive lineman Conor McDermott who was let go last week as the team trimmed its roster to 53 men. To clear room the Jets waived rookie running back Zonovan “Bam” Knight.

Prior to McDermott’s return, the Jets had eight offensive linemen on their roster, which is probably the minimum a team could carry. Apparently having a ninth lineman was important. McDermott has played both tackle and guard in the past, albeit neither particularly well.

Less than one week ago the Jets decided to cut McDermott and keep Knight. What changed between then and now?

They might have reassessed their roster.

This time of year teams also perform a lot of mental gymnastics when it comes to young players. Sometimes they wait a few days to waive a player like Knight on the theory other teams are less likely to place a waiver claim since their rosters are more set and practice squads are largely filled. I’m not sure how accurate this theory is. Any team that wants Knight can still claim him and cut its 53rd best player to make room, a fairly painless move. Still that might be the thought process here.

One would figure the Jets want to stash Knight on their practice squad if he does clear waivers.