The New York Jets aren’t satisfied with the construction of the roster.
UFL Insider James Larsen revealed on social media that the Jets hosted cornerback Shaun Wade for a workout. Wade also worked out for the Chicago Bears, Larsen added.
“I would expect Wade to land somewhere soon. He was an excellent corner in the UFL this season,” Larsen posted.
Wade, 27, will turn 28 during the 2026 season. He most recently was with the Dallas Renegades of the United Football League.
He is listed at 6 feet and weighs 196 pounds. Wade played in eight games since joining the team in January. He finished with three interceptions, nine pass breakups, a forced fumble, and 18 solo tackles.
Wade’s Origin Story
The talented defender originally entered the NFL as the No. 160 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft.
He spent only four months with the Baltimore Ravens before he was traded to the New England Patriots, before ever playing a snap. Wade went from Baltimore to New England in exchange for a 2022 seventh-round pick and a 2023 fifth-round draft choice.
“Wade, a fifth-round pick out of Ohio State, was not going to make the Ravens’ 53-man roster next week after being passed on the depth chart by Chris Westry. The Ravens decided to get some picks for Wade because they figured he wouldn’t clear waivers and make it to their practice squad,” ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote in August of 2021.
Wade spent three and a half seasons with the Patriots. He was dumped ahead of final roster cuts in 2024. Wade then ended up with the Los Angeles Chargers for the 2024 season, bouncing between the practice squad and the active roster.
Wade signed on with the Chicago Bears in April of 2025, but he was waived/injured in August. After going unclaimed on waivers, he reverted to the Bears’ injured reserve, which forced him to miss the entire season.
At the NFL level, Wade has appeared in 20 games and has made six starts. During the 2023 season, Wade appeared in a career high 37% of the defensive snaps with the Patriots.
An Area of Weakness?
Michael Nania of Jets X-Factor recently wrote a column where he documented the three “most underrated roster holes.”
One of the positions that cracked the list was “boundary CB.”
“The Jets’ cornerback unit is deep, featuring plenty of players who are at least capable of competing for a starting spot. However, the Jets’ issue at cornerback is a total lack of reliability. There are no players who can be comfortably labeled as an average starter at the very least. That is problematic at a position that can lose you a game faster than any position besides quarterback,” Nania wrote.
Here are some of the corners that will be battling for some of those starting gigs in 2026:
“The Jets don’t need all of these players to pan out. All that’s needed is for two of them to step up and prove worthy of a starting spot. And if things don’t go well early in the season, the Jets have enough depth to try different combinations throughout the year. But until anybody in this unit strings together a few weeks of quality performances, it’s a high-risk group that has the Jets’ pass defense looking vulnerable,” Nania explained.
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