The Jets are patching up a battered receiver room by adding a familiar veteran.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, New York is signing Sterling Shepard to the practice squad after his recent stint with the Houston Texans. Shepard was with Houston for eight days this summer before being released on Aug. 30.
The move comes at a time when the Jets are short on healthy bodies at wide receiver. Tim Patrick was placed on injured reserve before the season opener because of a groin injury, which will sideline him for at least four games. Then Omar Cooper Jr. went down in Week 1 with an ankle sprain, and his status is now week to week.
Shepard, 33, is entering his 11th season in the league. The Giants took him 40th overall in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft, and he spent eight seasons in New York before moving on. In that stretch, he totaled 372 catches for 4,095 yards and 23 touchdowns.
The Oklahoma City native spent the last two seasons with the Buccaneers. In 2025, he appeared in 13 games and hauled in 39 of 53 targets for 371 yards and one touchdown. He also had one drop, caught five of 11 contested targets and forced five missed tackles.
For the Jets, his value is in the flexibility. Shepard lined up both inside and outside in Tampa Bay last season, with 49% of his routes coming from the slot and 51% from out wide. That kind of versatility matters with Patrick unavailable on the perimeter and Cooper out of the slot.
Isaiah Williams finished the opener against Tennessee in the slot after Cooper exited.
As things stand heading into Week 2, the Jets have four healthy receivers on the active roster: Williams, Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell and Arian Smith, who had a brutal drop on his lone target. That makes Shepard a strong candidate to be elevated for the Week 2 matchup with the Packers if he’s healthy and comfortable with the playbook.
A player can be called up from the practice squad three times in a season. With Cooper expected to be out week to week, Shepard could fill that spot for the next three games without New York having to sign him to the active roster. If he appears in a fourth game, though, the Jets would need to move him onto the active roster to keep him eligible.
The Jets also added another receiver to the practice squad, signing Tyler Johnson, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. Johnson, 28, played in 12 games for New York last season.
New York’s roster moves also included signing cornerback Jordan Clark to the active roster from the practice squad, where he’ll serve as a backup nickel/safety, and releasing linebacker Jaden Keller and offensive lineman Xavier…
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