Cleveland Browns: 3 Players I’m still not sold on
By Randy Gurzi
2. Jabrill Peppers, Safety
One thing that people were happy about this offseason was the move to get free safety Damarious Randall. While he could be a weapon on the back end, his arrival actually did more for the players around him — primarily Jabrill Peppers.
Peppers is a hybrid linebacker/safety that was used out of position as a rookie last year. After primarily playing linebacker at Michigan, Peppers was played deep by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. This free safety role didn’t suit him at all and Randall’s addition meant he could play strong safety, which puts him closer to the line of scrimmage.
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However, Peppers doesn’t need to worry too much about that yet. He hasn’t proven to be a better option than Derrick Kindred, who is playing very well in that role and should remain the starter.
Peppers so far hasn’t proven that he deserved the status of a first-round pick and that’s concerning. The second of three picks in the opening round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Peppers was supposed to be part of a massive overhaul of talent. So far, he’s proven to be a player who has great physical tools, but no defined position in the NFL.
The good thing is he does offer value as a kick returner, but to prove he’s worthy of his selection, he has to find a way to get on the field with the base defense and make a difference.