Getty A group of New York Jets defenders trying to tackle Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen.
The New York Jets have lost a promising prospect.
ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates shared the news on Twitter that the Pittsburgh Steelers have signed Jets defensive lineman Jonathan Marshall off of their practice squad.
The Steelers are signing DT Jonathan Marshall off of the Jets’ practice squad to their 53-man roster, per source. He entered the league as a 2021 sixth-round pick out of Arkansas.
Marshall will join the Steelers on their 53-man roster for the rest of the 2022 season.
Jets Lose a Developmental Piece to an AFC Rival
Marshall originally entered the league back in 2021 as the No. 207 overall pick in the sixth round.
For the Jets, it was a dart throw on day three of the NFL draft. The former Arkansas product was heralded for being “quick and explosive” coming out per NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein.
The reason he slipped that late in the draft was that teams were turned off by the lack of sack production in college (1.5 sacks in four years).
In his rookie season, Marshall only appeared in four games and contributed just 76 defensive snaps the entire year.
This season he made it all the way to the final roster cuts, but got dumped on August 30. The talented defensive lineman signed to the team’s practice squad the very next day.
Now the big man will have an opportunity at a pay raise being on a 53-man roster and at playing time which he wasn’t afforded during his time with the Jets.
The Steelers were forced to make a move on the defensive line after Chris Wormley suffered a torn ACL in the loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
All the Marbles Are on Nathan Shepherd on the Jets’ DL
Many expected Marshall to make the leap and join the 53-man roster for the Jets in 2022.
It didn’t happen because the Jets had incredible depth on the defensive line and were enjoying a first-world problem.
Ultimately for the coaching staff, it came down to potential upside versus the enemy you know.
The Jets were willing to sacrifice what Marshall could eventually become for what Nathan Shepherd provided them right now.
That decision didn’t go well with the fan base because of Shepherd’s less-than-ideal reputation with penalties and blown assignments.
However this season the former Canadian has had a major bounceback season and the coaching staff appears like they made the right choice back during the summer.
Shepherd “has been exactly what we hoped,” head coach Robert Saleh told the media back on November 18.
Saleh said that Shepherd won’t wow you with “splash plays” but he said every time he steps on the football field “I promise the person across from him felt him and [he] wore them down.”
#Jets HC Robert Saleh said DL Nathan Shepherd (@NathanDShepherd) ‘has been exactly what we hoped’ + ‘he doesn’t make the splash plays but when his reps are done on the field I promise the person across from him felt him & wore him down’: 🎥 @nyjets #TakeFlight
Shepherd had multiple offers to leave New York this offseason, but the big man chose to stay with the Jets. He also sacrificed more money elsewhere to continue to be a part of this Jets culture.
The former Fort Hays State product is set to be a free agent this offseason. He has spent the first five years of his career with the green and white after being the No. 72 overall pick in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft.