Patriots S Jabrill Peppers
Getty
Patriots S Jabrill Peppers
Of the many areas in which the Patriots figure to improve in 2025, the defensive secondary ranks as a major one. New England made one of its splashiest offseason moves by signing cornerback Carlton Davis to a three-year, $60 million contract, giving the team a fearsome combo with Davis and Christian Gonzalez on the corners.
Fourth-round pick Craig Woodson, too, has been an early camp star, and bears watching at the nickel back spot.
That means the big question marks among the DBs are the spots up the middle, where the team is counting on a combination of a return to health and some new depth additions to reboot an area that has plenty of talent.
Starters Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers were out for most of last year, with Dugger struggling badly with an ankle injury even when he played. The team is bringing in veteran safety Marcus Epps from the Raiders, after Epps suffered a torn ACL that shut down his season in 2024.
Jabrill Peppers Acquitted After Serious Charges
While Dugger’s return health will be worth monitoring as camp presses on–he had ankle surgery in January–getting Peppers to fully put 2024 behind him will be critical for this defense, too. Last fall, Peppers was arrested and charged with assault
Per CBS Sports, Peppers was, “arrested after police responded to an altercation between two people on Oct. 5 at around 4 a.m. ET. Court documents state that a woman told police that Peppers choked her at least six times, pushed her down the stairs, hit her, took off her clothing and put her outside.”
Peppers was also charged with cocaine possession, and the NFL put him on the commissioner’s exempt list. He was removed from the list in November and came back to play two games in December, but suffered a hamstring injury and missed the final three games.
In January, Peppers’ case went to trial, and he was acquitted on all charges. On Wednesday, he finally spoke about what a mess the situation had been.
“I’m just happy it’s over with. I can get back to doing what I love to do,” he said.
Patriots’ Mike Vrabel Recruited Peppers
On a lighter note, Peppers also recalled a time when he first met new Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, which was way back when Peppers was a high school star in New Jersey, and was being recruited by Ohio State. Vrabel was an assistant with the Buckeyes at the time, and met Peppers on a visit.
Vrabel, a star linebacker in his playing days, challenged Peppers to cover him.
“I didn’t know he used to play some tight end back when (Tom) Brady was here,” Peppers said, via Zack Cox of the Boston Herald. “He told me to line up. I was like, ‘He’s a linebacker, he ain’t got too much.’ And he routed me up and caught the ball. That’s one of the first things he said to me when he got here.”
Peppers, for the record, not only did not go to Ohio State in the end, he went to the Buckeyes’ archrival, Michigan.