Detroit Lions signing RB Zonovan Knight to 53-man roster

The Detroit Lions have begun their roster maneuvering to compensate for the long list of injuries the team is currently dealing with. According to his agent, practice squad running back Zonovan Knight is signing to the team’s 53-man roster.

The move is clearly in response to the thigh injury David Montgomery suffered in Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. While coach Dan Campbell hasn’t ruled Montgomery out for this week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, calling him “day-to-day,” Montgomery himself said it could take a couple weeks to recover from the injury.

Knight’s running style would be a decent replacement for Montgomery, who has been a bruiser-type back capable of making defenders miss with his physicality. Last year with the Jets, Knight forced 29 missed tackles in a seven-game stretch from Week 12 to Week 18—second only to Josh Jacobs over that time period.

It’s unclear if Knight will take over for Montgomery or if Craig Reynolds will get some action as the main rusher. Obviously, first-round rookie Jahmyr Gibbs will also play a huge factor, although the Lions have preferred to use him as a weapon beyond the rushing game thus far.

“I still see it being by committee if D-Mo can’t go, but certainly Gibbs is going to get more opportunities,” Campbell said on Monday. “He got a little bit more (on Sunday) and there’s some plays he made, and there’s a lot he left out. Some of that is part of being a rookie. He’ll get better from those the more exposure he gets. We need him to grow and he will.”

The Lions already had one open roster spot from last week, and with C.J. Gardner-Johnson and James Houston expected to go on injured reserve this week, there are still two roster spots likely to be filled.