Countdown to Kickoff: Nathan Shepherd is the Saints Player of Day 93

We sit 93 days away from the New Orleans Saints regular season opener. On Sept. 13, 2026, the Saints will face the Detroit Lions on the road to kick off their year. Currently wearing No. 93 for the Saints is defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd , coming into his fourth season with the franchise.

Shepherd is going into the second year of a three-year contract extension signed with the Saints last offseason. As our Countdown to Kickoff series continues, we take a look at Shepherd's career to date as our Saints Player of the Day.

Nathan Shepherd actually began his collegiate career as a walk-on at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, after graduating from J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate High School in Ontario. After two years there, he worked a number of odd jobs for a few years to afford tuition to Fort Hays State in Kansas. He'd eventually be offered an athletic scholarship by the Tigers. Shepherd paid off that reward by being named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Defensive player of the year in 2018.

Shepherd's play at the Divisional II level attracted enough attention from NFL scouts that the Jets selected him with the seventh choice in Round 3 of the 2018 NFL Draft. Shepherd played in every game as a rookie, starting five. While he wouldn't record a sack, he did have 5 QB hits and a tackle for loss. In all, Shepherd spent his first five NFL seasons with the Jets. Over that span, he collected 6 sacks with 13 tackles for loss and 33 QB hits while showcasing terrific athletic ability for an interior defender.

A free agent for the first time in 2023, the Saints signed Shepherd to a three-year deal. In his first year with New Orleans , Shepherd started all 17 games and played a career-high 594 snaps, 54% of the unit's total. He had 3.5 sacks, a career best, along with 11 pressures and 4 stops for loss. In 2024, Shepherd appeared in 16 of the team's 17 games and achieved 3 tackles for loss with 1.5 sacks and 9 pressures.

As he was going into the final year of his deal last offseason, the Saints re-signed Shepherd to a three-year contract extension. Under new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley in 2025, Shepherd played more end on a 3-4 line after being a traditional 4-3 defensive tackle for the majority of his career. He responded with a career high 696 defensive snaps, 67% of the team's total over 16 games played. Shepherd had 3 sacks and only 4 tackles for loss, but his 13 QB hits and 47 total tackles were both the most of his eight-year career.

Nathan Shepherd is expected to bookend the Saints 3-man front along with Bryan Bresee this season. He's been a steady performer in New Orleans for three seasons. With a cap number that escalates to over $7 million in 2026, however, it's fair to expect more from Shepherd this season.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Nathan Shepherd is the Saints Player of Day 93