Sportsnaut
The New England Patriots saw a ton of roster turnover take place this offseason as a new regime was put in place. One of the players the team moved on from, though, came as a surprise to many fans and media members alike.
Rumors had been circulating surrounding starting safety Kyle Dugger for months. The belief was that the team would either trade or release the veteran after a disappointing 2024 campaign and a less-than-impressive summer showing. However, the team actually ended up keeping Dugger and releasing fellow starting safety Jabrill Peppers instead.
It was surprising as it hadn’t even been widely reported that Peppers was on the chopping block. Nevertheless, the team moved on from him anyway, and Mike Vrabel was evasive in his reasoning for the move.
Peppers missed Week 1, but it doesn’t appear that he will miss any more games. Per reports, the safety is signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers need some more depth as starting safety DeShon Elliott is expected to miss a couple of weeks due to an MCL sprain.
Without Elliott, Peppers will be the lone true strong safety on the roster. The team has Juan Thornhill, Chuck Clark, and special teams ace Miles Killebrew at the free safety spot.
The Steelers took part in one of the most exciting Week 1 games. The New York Jets had a 19-17 lead over the Steelers at halftime, but a strong second half and a clutch 60-yard kick from Chris Boswell ended up giving the Steelers a 34-32 win.
The Patriots, meanwhile, fell 20-13 in their opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. Coincidentally, the Patriots’ secondary disappointed without Peppers and star cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who remains injured.
It will be interesting to see if the Patriots end up regretting moving on from Peppers. Pittsburgh seems like a solid landing spot for Peppers on paper, and the veteran will seemingly have at least a couple of weeks to try and prove himself as the starter.
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