The New England Patriots had a busy March addressing their needs in the secondary. They re-signed two-time Pro Bowler Devin McCourty, brought back Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler and most recently, signed former New York Giants safety Jabril Peppers to a one-year deal.
On Tuesday, Peppers opened up on his 2021 season with the Giants and why he decided to join the Patriots.
Peppers says he and #Patriots assistant coach Joe Judge have a great relationship. Had Judge remained the head guy in NY, Peppers likely would have returned to the #Giants organization.
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) April 12, 2022
The Cleveland Browns selected Peppers with the 25th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and he spent the first two years of his career with the organization. In 2018, the 26-year-old started all 16 games and posted 79 tackles, five tackles for loss, five passes defended, four quarterback hits and a career-high three fumble recoveries, while adding 25 punt returns for 219 yards and 19 kickoff returns for 408 yards, equaling a career-high 643 all-purpose yards.
Peppers was traded along with a 2019 first-round pick and 2019 third-round pick in exchange for Odell Beckham Jr. in March 2019. Peppers was limited to 11 games that season due to injury but still registered 76 tackles, five passes defended, three forced fumbles and his only career pick-six.
In 2020, he recorded career-best numbers in tackles (91), tackles for loss (eight), passes defended (11) and sacks (2.5), but played in a career-low six contests last season after suffering his ACL injury in October.
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