According to Bob Rose of Sports Illustrated on Wednesday, the New Orleans Saints have signed defensive end Nathan Shepherd of Ajax, Ontario. The terms of the contract are three years and $15 million.
The Saints are the second National Football League franchise Shepherd has played for. He played the last five seasons with the New York Jets. In 2022, Shepherd had 33 combined tackles (16 solo tackles and 17 assisted tackles), four tackles for a loss, six quarterback hits, and 1.5 sacks. For his career, Shepherd has 104 tackles (52 solo tackles and 52 assisted tackles), 33 quarterback hits, 13 tackles for a loss, and six sacks.
Shepherd played his college football at the NCAA Division II level with Fort Hays State. He played his high school football at J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate in Ajax.
Also on Thursday, David Onyemata of Lagos, Nigeria, who attended the University of Manitoba, signed a three-year deal worth $35 million with the Atlanta Falcons. Over the last seven seasons, the defensive tackle has been with the Saints. In 106 games, he has 244 combined tackles (131 solo tackles and 113 assisted tackles), 63 quarterback hits, 28 tackles for a loss, one interception for three yards, six pass deflections, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries for -6 yards and 23 sacks. It is actually interesting that Shepherd is replacing Onyemata on the Saints.
