This feels like deja vu: the New York Jets are signing DB Nehemiah Shelton for a second time. Last year, Shelton joined the Jets after his stint with the Memphis Showboats in the USFL. After playing with Memphis in the UFL this year, he’s back to the Big Apple in green.
BREAKING: UFL standout cornerback Nehemiah Shelton is signing with the New York #Jets, his agent Edith Lawson-Jackson exclusively tells @_MLFootball.
NY adds more defensive backfield depth with Shelton, who spent time with the team in 2023. @Nehemiahs_ is 6-foot-2, 185 pounds pic.twitter.com/glHx20i7qn
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) July 23, 2024
Back in 2023, Shelton was a late signing for the Memphis Showboats. He was actually one of their USFL College Draft picks, and ended up appearing in three games, totaling three tackles. From there, he signed with the Jets, and posted one tackle in two preseason matchups.
The New York Jets have signed former @USFLShowboats CB Nehemiah Shelton 🙌 pic.twitter.com/OZ3qHM2dx7
— USFL (@USFL) August 17, 2023
Nehemiah returned to the Showboats in 2024, making the regular season roster and making several appearances with Memphis this season. Interestingly enough, he only played 35 snaps this year, appearing in just five games. He had six tackles as a Showboats in 2024.
Clearly, the New York Jets see something that they like in Shelton. He hasn’t been very productive with Memphis, but this is largely due to a low snap count. He was targeted five times in 2024 via PFF, allowing four catches for 77 yards.
It’s more than likely that Nehemiah is signing with the Jets as a camp body, since they’re already familiar with his game. That said, it’s still fantastic to see the UFL serving as a platform to get Nehemiah back to the next level. Football is tough to predict; this could be the chance he needs to stick with the Jets, even if it’s on the practice squad.
Final Thoughts
Without the national platform that the UFL provided Shelton with, who knows if this opportunity would have been possible. You can stay up to date with all UFL to NFL signings with our official tracker.
What are your thoughts on Nehemiah Shelton signing with the Jets? Will the Memphis Showboats find the right replacement moving forward? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
