The Patriots' roster has undergone massive changes this offseason, under the watchful eye of new head coach Mike Vrabel, for the better. Most of the upgrades made had been needed for years, on both sides of the ball, which has catapulted the team into potentially winning double-digit games after back-to-back seasons of more losses than wins.
Plenty more moves are expected to be made, some of which might be unexpected, like the releases of David Andrews, Ja'Whaun Bentley, and Joe Cardona. Unfortunately, because the new regime has proven they are not keeping any questionable players around, that highlights some names, with one being 2024 captain Jabrill Peppers.
The safety signed with New England in 2022 and proved to be a valuable piece to the improving defense. He maintained that kind of production and became a leader in the locker room, which inevitably awarded him captain status last year.
But to some analysts, that might not be enough to keep him on the roster for the upcoming season.
Jabrill Peppers might be in a fight for a spot on the Patriots 2025 roster this offseason
Because Vrabel and Co. have shown they are not loyal to any player, no matter how long they have been on the team, and are not afraid to put young players into crucial positions, there's a chance they won't view Peppers as a cornerstone piece of their defense moving forward.
Bernd Buchmasser on Pats Pulpit believes that might be the case over the next few months, listing a few reasons he's likely to be on the chopping block ahead of the upcoming season.
"Peppers is a quality safety who was one of the better players on the Patriots defense when available in 2024. His combination of age, lack of ties to the new regime and unsatisfactory recent history means that he will be under a bit of pressure this coming season, but there is no denying he can still be a valuable piece of the puzzle as well as a tone-setter on and off the field."
Despite how important he has been to the team over the last three years, Peppers ' off-the-field issues last year and unimpressive performance when he was around could be a challenging hill for him to climb and prove to Vrabel that he's worthy of a spot on next season's roster.
They have Kyle Dugger ready to lead the safety room once again, plus they drafted Craig Woodson in the fourth round of this year's draft, adding another player into the mix for a role in the secondary. There will be a lot of competition at the safety position, with other players like Jaylinn Hawkins, Marte Mapu, and Dell Pettus hoping to steal that spot from Peppers, which could also be problematic for the veteran.
Because of his vast experience, it would probably be better to keep Peppers on the roster and allow him to mentor the younger players who will eventually take over in his place. However, as Buchmasser stated, he will have a lot to overcome, like his age and lack of ties to the new coaching staff, to lock up a spot on the 53-man roster.
It makes for another fascinating storyline to watch with training camp and the upcoming preseason.
More Patriots news and analysis: