Former Rutgers wide receiver D.T. Sheffield saw his short time with the New York Jets come to an end this week when the team terminated his contract and waived him with an injury settlement.
The 25-year-old undrafted free agent had been waived/injured earlier in the week before landing on injured reserve. The settlement frees him to join another club once he recovers from the undisclosed injury that cut short his training camp.
Sheffield signed with the Jets in early May after going unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft. The 5-foot-7, 175-pound speedster arrived on a three-year deal that carried limited guaranteed money, banking on the elite acceleration that first turned heads at Rutgers.
In his only season with the Scarlet Knights in 2025, Sheffield hauled in 44 passes for 557 yards and five touchdowns over 12 games. He averaged 13.1 yards per catch and provided a reliable option in the slot while contributing on special teams with a handful of returns.
Those numbers capped a journeyman college career that also included a standout year at North Texas. There in 2024, he posted 66 receptions for 822 yards and a conference-high 11 touchdowns, earning All-AAC honors as both a receiver and return specialist. Across his three FBS seasons, he finished with 115 catches for roughly 1,420 yards and 16 scores.
Before that, Sheffield spent time at Washington State and starred at the junior-college level at Northwest Mississippi, where he once piled up more than 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. His 40-yard dash times in the mid-4.3 to low-4.4 range, including a reported 4.38 or 4.39, underscored the suddenness that made him a potential return threat and vertical stretch option.
Rutgers coaches and teammates saw that explosiveness firsthand last fall. Sheffield generated 132 yards after the catch in 2025 according to advanced metrics and operated primarily from the slot, using quick releases and sharp routes to create separation against Big Ten defenses.
The Jets had hoped those traits would translate in camp and help him battle for a depth role or practice-squad spot. Special-teams production often decides such contests for undrafted players, and Sheffield’s prior experience returning punts and kickoffs—18 punts for 200 yards and six kickoffs for 127 yards over his college career—gave him a realistic shot.
An undisclosed injury changed the picture. The Jets simultaneously signed Junior Bergen, a former San Francisco 49ers practice-squad player known for his own return skills, to bolster the receiver and special-teams groups during the roster crunch.
Once Sheffield cleared waivers and reverted to injured reserve, the club chose the settlement route. That decision allows him to rehabilitate without missing the entire 2026 season on the Jets’ IR list and opens the door for him to sign elsewhere when healthy.
For a player who carved out production at multiple stops, the setback is temporary. Speed remains his primary calling card in a league that constantly seeks athletes capable of stretching the field or flipping field position.
Sheffield’s path from junior college through the transfer portal to Rutgers and then the NFL already demonstrated resilience. Healthier days should give the former Scarlet Knight another chance to prove himself on a new roster in the weeks or months ahead.
Rutgers fans who watched him lead the team in receiving yards and touchdowns last season will likely keep an eye on where he lands next.
The traits that earned him an NFL opportunity have not disappeared, and another organization may soon benefit from the same quickness and return ability that once lit up SHI Stadium.
