Getty Lorenzo Carter #59, Jabrill Peppers #21, and Dalvin Tomlinson #94 of the New York Giants tackle Elijah McGuire #25 of the New York Jets
Jabrill Peppers was one of the prized jewels the New York Giants received in return for shipping star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns one offseason ago. However, fast forward one year and recent roster movement on the backend of Big Blue’s defense has many, including NewJersey.com’s Art Stapleton, wondering if the clock is now ticking on the 2017 first-rounder’s tenure in New York.
Giants to ‘Go Another Direction’ at Safety?
Peppers’ first season in New York was certainly promising, with glimpses of brilliance sprinkled in here and there. Had it not been for him suffering a season-ending transverse process fracture in Week 11, Peppers would have likely obliterated his career-high in tackles.
Still, Peppers showed enough in the short time for Big Blue to pick up his fifth-year option this offseason. The idea around New York has been that Peppers will spearhead a three-headed monster at safety. Instead, his fellow Giants’ safeties may ultimately make his presence unwarranted, as Stapleton points out.
The Giants picked up Peppers’ fifth-year option for 2021, and he’s emerged as an emotional leader on the defensive side of the ball. But with rookie Xavier McKinney and second-year safety Julian Love expected to form a trio at safety with Peppers this year, his performance could end up deciding whether the Giants commit to the Paramus Catholic grad with a more lucrative deal or go another direction in the future.
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Giants to Lean on 3-Safety Look, Ala Super Bowl XLVI
Julian Love, a rookie at the time, filled in more than admirably for an injured Peppers down the stretch of 2019. In fact, according to PFF, Love graded out better than not only Peppers on the season, but also the player Peppers was brought in to replace, Washington’s Landon Collins.
The Giants appeared primed to enter 2020 with Love and Peppers as their two starting safeties, that was until Xavier McKinney fell into their lap on draft day. McKinney, a player perceived as a top-15 prospect by many draft experts, offers similar versatility to Love and Peppers. Yet where McKinney separates himself is his ability to roam the backend, owning the potential to develop into a true ballhawk.
While it may sound like a crowded safety room on the surface, the Giants have a long history of successfully operating out of a three-safety look, namely with Deon Grant back in the early 2010s.
Yes, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is new in town and is bringing in his own defensive philosophy. You’d expect Graham to get his best players on the football field as much as possible. It just so happens that three of his best players happen to all be safeties.
It’s true that the presence of Love and McKinney could ultimately push Peppers out of New York. However, on the other hand, it could also help unleash a new and improved Peppers, one that can operate out of a slew of positions and flaunt his true positional flexibility.