The Jets were able to re-sign defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd to a one-year deal in 2022, but he’ll be moving on in 2023.
Dianna Russini of ESPN reports that Shepherd has agreed to a contract with the Saints. The terms of that deal are not known.
Shepherd joined the Jets as a 2018 third-round pick and he’s been a rotational piece on their defensive line over the last five seasons. He had 33 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season and recorded 104 tackles and six sacks over his entire run with the Jets.
The Saints have seen Shy Tuttle and David Onyemata agree to deals with other teams, so they needed to address the interior of their defensive line. The Jets also have Sheldon Rankins and Solomon Thomas hitting free agency, so that will be an area for them to look at before or after they finally get clarity on the Aaron Rodgers situation.
