Packers Trade Proposal Adds Kenny Clark Replacement on the Cheap

There may be a fire sale down in New Orleans soon, and if that’s the case, the Green Bay Packers could be a team that benefits.

The Saints are sitting at 0-4, and the future is looking bleak as ever without an answer at quarterback. Meanwhile, in Green Bay, the 3-1 Packers traded longtime defensive anchor Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys in the blockbuster deal that brought Micah Parsons, leaving a big leadership and production void inside.

Green Bay’s current DT rotation — Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden, along with rookies Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson — is talented, but still young and relatively unproven. Wyatt has already battled a knee issue, while Wooden is still learning the nuances of playing inside. With Clark gone, though, the team’s lack of an established, dependable interior presence is obvious.

John Sigler of USA Today’s Saints Wire thinks the Packers could make a bid for Saints veteran DT Nathan Shepherd to fill that void. Let’s discuss.

Should the Green Bay Packers Try to Trade for Saints DT Nathan Shepherd to Replace Kenny Clark?

“Right now, the Saints don’t have a pick in two of the final four rounds next year,” Sigler wrote on September 29. “Trades that swapped sixth rounders for defensive linemen with similar resumes like Roy Robertson-Harris and Harrison Phillips have established a precedent. Shepherd isn’t going to be part of a multiyear rebuild. Getting a pick and sending him to a playoff contender is good for both sides.”

Sigler thinks the Pack could snag him on the cheap, too. Here’s his trade proposal:

New Orleans gets: 2026 sixth-round pick (projected No. 203 overall)
Green Bay gets: DT Nathan Shepherd

The Green Bay Packers‘ defensive line was worn down by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, and they took a big hit when Devonte Wyatt left the game with a knee injury,” Sigler added. “Micah Parsons was worth the trade but their depth chart has been exposed without Kenny Clark in the middle. Shepherd isn’t a comparable talent to Clark or Wyatt. But he is an established, starting-quality defensive tackle. He could do a lot to shore up a Packers defensive line that hopes to compete in the playoffs.

A Closer Look at Shepherd’s 8 Seasons in the NFL

GettyVeteran defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd.

A 2018 third-round pick by the Jets out of Fort Hays State, the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Shepherd has evolved from a fringe player to a reliable rotational presence and occasional starter. He spent five seasons in New York before inking a three-year deal with New Orleans in 2023.

That first season with the Saints was arguably his best. He started all 17 games, finishing with 50 tackles (four for loss), 3.5 sacks and eight QB hits. In 2024 he remained a steady contributor with 16 games (13 starts), 37 tackles (three for loss) and 1.5 sacks. His pass rush production dipped a bit, but his ability to hold his ground against the run remained strong.

In four starts so far this season, Shepherd has 13 tackles (one for loss) and three QB hits. He has yet to get a sack, but he’s playing on a struggling Saints team that could soon be looking to move veterans.

Financially, he wouldn’t cost the Packers much. His 2025 cap hit sits in the mid-$3 million range, with a cash payout just over $4 million. A trade for Shepherd could help stabilize the interior, give the young guys more breathing room to develop and offer dependable snaps if Wyatt misses more time. If the Saints are selling, Green Bay might want to see if he’d like to play for a contender yet this season.

Steelers Coaches Get Honest About RB Kaleb Johnson

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Kaleb Johnson has had a less-than-ideal start to his NFL career after being picked in the third round of the 2025 draft, with his special teams gaffe against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2 still remaining a point of conversation.

In that contest, Johnson failed to field a ball that bounced over his head in the landing zone and found its way to the end zone, where the Seahawks recovered it for a touchdown in the fourth quarter before going on to win by a score of 31-17.

Johnson had logged 11 snaps as a kick returner and racked up 190 yards on eight attempts before his game-changing mistake, but he hasn't gotten an opportunity on special teams since.

While meeting with the media at the start of the team's Week 5 bye, Steelers special teams coordinator Danny Smith revealed he didn't react to the play in real time and instead waited to deal with it while watching film.

“Connor Heyward was telling him, ‘we go over that all the time,’" Smith said. "That was before I got there. I didn’t say much on the field to him. We replaced him, and he wasn’t ready to go back out there. I dealt with it in a tape session."

Fellow running backs Trey Sermon and Kenneth Gainwell have handled all kick returning duties since the start of Week 3 while Johnson has sat and seemingly continued learning from his error vs. Seattle.

Johnson's offensive role had been minuscule over the first three weeks of the season while playing behind Jaylen Warren and Gainwell, logging just two carries for -1 yards over that span, though he finally saw an increase in his touches while the former was ruled out in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings due to a knee injury.

Sep 7, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson (20) breaks a tackle by New York Jets cornerback Brandon Stephens (21) during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Gainwell handled a majority of the responsibilities out of the backfield with 25 touches for 134 yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage, but Johnson had his most productive game as a professional with six attempts for 22 yards on the ground.

Running backs coach Eddie Faulkner discussed Johnson's development thus far, stating that he has a ton of talent and that having a chance to see the field more against Minnesota should provide a nice boost for him moving forward.

“He’s doing fine," Faulkner said. "Kaleb is in a fortunate spot where he has two veterans ahead of him who are selfless and willing to help him whenever they can. He’s a great talent. There’s a growth needed there... He went in the (Vikings) game and that was a big boost for him. He was able to get a couple of good runs in there. I could feel a little bit of the pressures he had felt lifted off his shoulders."

Though Johnson hasn't been featured prominently as a rookie, there's still hope that he'll emerge as a key future piece for Pittsburgh.