Lito WHOA

The Jets might be nearing a trade for Philadelphia cornerback Lito Sheppard.

Rich Cimini of the New York Daily News reports the New York Jets are far enough along in working out a trade for Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard that the two-time Pro Bowler will drop by the Jets' headquarters Saturday. ESPN.com has confirmed the visit.

That's a pretty sexy bulletin for a team trying to get over the hump and fulfill their new head coach's brash prediction of a Super Bowl within a couple years.

Imagine a cornerback duo of Sheppard and Darrelle Revis. The rest of the AFC East would rather not.

Sheppard is a two time Pro Bowler and a two time All Pro. It would have the potential to be an excellent acquisitions.

It would be the ultimate case of buying low. There was a time when Sheppard was considered one of the game's top corners. He could run with pretty much anybody, and his ball skills and instincts made him a real playmaker. At the end of this season, however, he was fourth on Philadelphia's depth chart.

He is only 28 so it is tough to imagine he is washed up. Sheppard simply comes off as a high maintenance guy. He has wanted a new contract from the Eagles, but they did not give it to him despite his track record. Perhaps a checkered injury history has something to do with it. Then the Eagles threw money at Asante Samuel a year ago, making him the new number one. These perceived slights may have been the root cause of his dropoff in play.

A new contract, a starting job, and a fresh start might be exactly what Lito needs to resurrect his career. The Jets should definitely pursue this for all its worth. The upside, a Sheppard-Revis combo at corner would be tremendous. Randy Moss and Wes Welker are going nowhere. In the past, the secondary the Jets have put against this combo has been the equivalent of bringing a knife to a gun fight. That could change with this move.