I'm afraid he's going to end up, as Kragthorpe would say, "a jack of all trades, and a master of none". Hope I'm wrong because he's certainly a great leader and teammate.
I'm not sure he's got the size for it, but maybe he can make up for that with moves and athleticism, which he has in spades.
It also makes sense if you want to get Shep more involved in the offense and anticipate starting Jefferson, who might check down to his 2nd receiver on a good day and almost never to his 3rd option or a dump-off back.
Sheppard averaged 7.9 yards a carry last year. Am I the only one that thinks he should line up in the backfield and get some snaps at running back?