The Jets are reaching for veteran help at wide receiver, and Sterling Shepard is the latest name headed to Florham Park.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, New York is signing the former Giants and Buccaneers receiver to the practice squad as injuries continue to thin out the position group. Shepard spent eight days with the Houston Texans this summer before being released on Aug. 30.
The timing makes sense for a Jets team that has been scrambling for bodies at receiver. Backup Tim Patrick went on injured reserve before the season opener with a groin injury, sidelining him for at least four games. Then in Week 1, starting slot receiver Omar Cooper Jr. sprained his ankle and is now considered “week-to-week.”
Shepard, 33, is entering his 11th season. The Giants picked him 40th overall in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft, and over eight years in New York he piled up 372 catches for 4,095 yards and 23 touchdowns.
He spent the last two seasons in Tampa Bay and was productive in 2025. Shepard played in 13 games, hauled in 39 of 53 targets for 371 yards and one touchdown, and posted a 73.6% catch rate. He also had one drop, caught 5 of 11 contested targets, and forced five missed tackles.
The Jets like him because he can move around. Last season with the Buccaneers, Shepard lined up in the slot on 49% of his routes and out wide on 51%, which gives New York a flexible option while Patrick and Cooper recover. Patrick’s absence leaves a hole on the outside, while Cooper’s injury opens up a different need inside.
New York already had to turn to Isaiah Williams in the slot after Cooper went down against Tennessee.
As things stand heading into Week 2, the Jets have only four healthy wide receivers on the active roster: Williams, Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell, and Arian Smith, who had a brutal drop on his only target. Shepard appears likely to be elevated for the Week 2 matchup against the Packers if he is healthy and learns the playbook quickly.
A player can be elevated from the practice squad three times in a season, so Shepard could fill in for the next three weeks without needing an immediate active-roster spot. If he plays in three games from the practice squad, New York would have to sign him to the active roster before he could appear again.
The Jets also added another receiver later in the day, signing Tyler Johnson to the practice squad, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Johnson, 28, played in 12 games for the Jets last season.
New York also signed cornerback Jordan Clark to the active roster off the practice squad, where he will serve as a backup nickel/safety, and released linebacker Jaden Keller and offensive lineman Xavier…
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