The New Orleans Saints are preparing and getting ready for the 2023 NFL season. With this, we see many returning players from last season on the roster, but also a new wave of free agent signings and rookies to fill positions of need. With some pretty hefty front-office turnover in terms of assistant coaches due to Sean Payton leaving for the Denver Broncos, this season sets up to be an interesting one no doubt.
Each day we will be counting down the 25 most important Saints for the 2023 season. This will be split up into the following categories:
- Recap of their 2022 season
- Projecting their 2023 success
- What is the biggest question mark for them in 2023?
Today, we start off the series with No. 25, which was voted by the Saints Wire staff to be defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd. A new addition to the Saints defensive front through free agency, he is already looking to make a significant impact in 2023:
Background
Position: Defensive lineman (DT/DE)
Age: 29
Experience: 6th season
2023 cap hit: $2,080,000
2022 Recap
Shepherd was one of the critical pieces to a New York Jets defense that in 2022 was ranked top-five in most categories. They ranked third in yards allowed, first in touchdowns allowed, and fourth in first downs allowed. This was due to a mix of a high-quality front seven alongside a young and improving secondary.
Shepherd was on the field for about 37% of defensive snaps last season, as well as an additional 30% of special teams snaps. In three starts out of seventeen games played, he would put together 33 tackles, four tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, 1.5 sacks and only had three missed tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, he saw nearly identical snaps in pass rush versus run defense with 207 to 209 respectively. However, he ended up with a 79.5 pass rush grade compared to a 68.9 run defense grade. Overall, another quality season for Shepherd in the Jets defensive front.
2023 Outlook
Shepherd seems to have signed with the New Orleans Saints to carve himself out a role in what was a poor run defense last season. With a multitude of additions at defensive tackle including Bryan Bresee in round one of the draft, Khalen Saunders in free agency, and re-signing Malcolm Roach, the position saw a few more players than originally anticipated. With that, there is definitely a chance Shepherd gets shuffled into the role he previously saw with the Jets as a rotational defensive lineman. However, depending on how quickly Bresee takes to the NFL landscape, we could see Shepherd early on as more of a full time defensive tackle until Bresee develops a bit.
Big question: Can Shepherd improve enough in run defense to create a larger role for himself?
The Saints somewhat filled their “nose tackle” of sorts role this offseason by signing Khalen Saunders. This leaves one more remaining starting spot at defensive tackle somewhat open for a new face, and that comes down to a competition of sorts between Shepherd and Bresee for snaps. One of the biggest points Shepherd needs to improve on if he wants to see considerable playing time this season would be run defense. His game is heavily predicated on his ability to rush the passer, which is good, but not enough to single-handedly hand him a starting spot. If he can get more reps inside as a traditional 2I/3-tech defensive lineman, and become at least good in the run defense department, then he could see more than just a rotational spot this season.
