Sportsnaut
The Patriots are preparing for the Week 1 opener against the Raiders, which will kick off in less than week. It was thought that the major moves were over for the Patriots, but the team made a shocking decision on Friday.
Seemingly out of nowhere, presumed starting safety Jabrill Peppers was released. It was shocking to see Peppers get the boot considering it was actually the Patriots’ other starting safety, Kyle Dugger, who had been involved in rumors.
Dugger struggled in 2024 after signing a big extension last offseason. The safety continued to disappoint this summer under new head coach Mike Vrabel, and as a result, the safety was floated as a trade or cut candidate for months. Ultimately, Dugger ended up remaining on the final roster after the cut deadline, and Peppers ended up being released instead.
Now, we’re learning that the release of Peppers didn’t come out of nowehere after all. In Mike Reiss’ Sunday column for ESPN, the insider revealed that the Patriots indeed tried to trade Peppers before releasing him.
“One front office source from an NFL team said Peppers’ name had come up in trade discussions earlier in August, so the Patriots’ decision to cut ties with him didn’t come as a surprise to that team,” said Reiss.
Still, it’s surprising that it didn’t get out to the media that Peppers was on the trade block. It had been widely reported that Dugger and Anfernee Simmons were being shopped, but Peppers was considered a lock to be on the roster and be a starter.
Now, without Peppers, and with Dugger relegated to a backup role, it seems like rookie Craig Woodson and camp standout Jaylinn Hawkins will be the starting safeties. Dugger, Dell Pettus, and Brenden Schooler are the only other safeties on the roster now.
Reiss also mentioned that Peppers isn’t believed to be a good fit in the new defensive scheme, and the move was not due to any off-field issue.
“The Patriots are prioritizing a different style of play from their safeties than what former coaches Bill Belichick and Jerod Mayo valued at that position,” Reiss said. “That’s the short answer as to why starter-turned-backup Jabrill Peppers was released Friday, and why starter-turned-backup Kyle Dugger was no certainty to be on the initial 53-man roster.”
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