Jabrill Peppers

The New York Giants know what Jabrill Peppers can become

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New York Giants, Jabrill Peppers

After being badly misused with the Cleveland Browns to start his career, Jabrill Peppers is now preparing to take his game to the next level with his hometown team, the New York Giants.

With Cleveland, he was primarily used as a free safety, a position he’s capable of playing, but not at a very high level. He ranked as one of the worst free safeties in the NFL during his rookie season, but he learned new skills that will ultimately help him succeed in the future.

What does Jabrill Peppers bring to the New York Giants?

The diversity he brings to the defense will hopefully replace Landon Collins…at least that’s the hope. The influence Collins brought to the team isn’t easy to replicate — his efficiency in the run game and tenacity in all other facets. His primary weakness, though, was in coverage.

Peppers is more refined in that category and will have more of an impact against tight ends and running backs coming out of the backfield. Defensive coordinator James Bettcher refers to Peppers as his “Swiss Army Knife,” a player that can move around and play in different areas with quality.

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On one play he can line up as a slot corner, the next as a box safety, and free safety…not to mention his proficiency as a kick returner. There’s so much to like about the young defender, especially when you look at his progression over the past two years.

In 2017, he recorded just 57 combined tackles and zero quarterback hits. One year later, he earned 79 combined tackles and four QB hits. That’s a good sign, improvement, and development. The fact of the matter is, Peppers is still growing, which is why veteran safety Antoine Bethea will play a role in the success he sees with Big Blue.

There’s plenty left to learn on his end, and the way Bettcher intends to utilize him should help him reach his full potential.

New York Giants: Kareem Martin expected to make a bigger impact in 2019

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New York Giants, Kareem Martin

The New York Giants signed outside linebacker Kareem Martin in 2018 with the anticipation that he would be an impactful player on the defensive front.

A former player for defensive coordinator James Bettcher, Martin was versed in his schemes and play-styles, allowing him to help his teammates adapt. I feel as though that was his primary usage and role last season, as he only racked up 48 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

What does Kareem Martin count against the New York Giants’ cap?

General manager Dave Gettleman signed Kareem on a three-year, $15 million deal, and it’s very unlikely the Giants elect to cut him this offseason due to his dead-cap hit.

Counting 5.941M against the cap, Martin also holds a $4.833M dead-cap hit which only represents a $1.1M increase in cap-space if cut. The Giants are better off keeping him around and utilizing him in a similar role to Markus Golden and Oshane Ximines.

However, the 6-foot-6 defender could see his role diminished alongside Ximines and Golden, two new players looking to leave their mark in their first season with the team. Martin will earn a pretty penny to be a glorified teacher.

On a positive note, Martin did rack up 10 QB hits last season, showing that he’s capable, to an extent, when it comes to getting into the backfield and causing pressure. The Giants and Bettcher will ask the same of him again in 2019, something he needs to improve on and provide more value.

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Adding players like Dexter Lawrence and Jabrill Peppers on defense should help in creating more opportunity in the trenches. Peppers’ ability to move around the field will force opposing offenses to be more conservative and utilize their tight ends in passing schemes, otherwise, Peppers will play close to the line of scrimmage and blitz.

Lawrence’s massive presence will open up holes for stunts and more efficient blitzes for players like Martin. Overall, we should see more production from the defensive front this upcoming season.

 

New York Giants looking to bring the best out of Jabrill Peppers

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New York Giants, Jabrill Peppers

The New York Giants are in an interesting position with their safety group – it will be exciting to see how Jabrill Peppers supplements the loss of Landon Collins.

Losing Landon Collins in free agency will certainly affect the defense, but general manager Dave Gettleman forcing the Cleveland Browns to throw Jabrill Peppers into the Odell Beckham Jr. trade might prove to be even more impactful.

Collins was one of the Giants’ best play-makers, and he wanted to be in Blue for the remainder of his career. Reality took his situation in a different turn, and the Giants could come out with a better deal.

The former Giant is now earning $14 million per season to play with Washington, while Big Blue added Peppers who will count just $1.4 million against the cap in 2019. The price differential is massive, but it’s the skill-set that Peppers brings that should be cause for excitement.

The former Brown was misused all over the field, first playing at the free safety position, a spot where he struggled immensely, ranking towards the bottom of the league in 2017 at the position. He was then moved to a strong-safety look, where his tackles jumped from 57–>79. He also added five tackles for a loss and four QB hits, where he had just one TFL in his rookie year.

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He also managed to collect five passes defended compared to three at the free safety spot. However, his experience in the deep secondary helps the Giants moving forward — it only adds to his diversity and ability at multiple positions.

I anticipate defensive coordinator James Bettcher utilize Peppers in a Swiss Army Knife type of role. Moving him around and keeping the opposing offense concerned. Jabrill can cover receivers in the slot, tight ends, play the run, and drop back at the free safety position.

Acquiring speed and size (similar frame to Landon Collins 5-11, 213-pounds) allows him to play adequately against the run and pass equally. It will be interesting and exciting to see how the Giants use him in his third season as a pro. Also, being a first-round pick allows the Giants to extend him on a fifth-year option down the road. Essentially, they traded a quality linebacker in Collins on an expiring rookie deal for a player about to enter his prime.

New York Giants: How Antoine Bethea Will Be A Great Mentor For Jabrill Peppers

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New York Giants, Antoine Bethea, Jabrill Peppers

The New York Giants made it a point to revamp their secondary in 2019. Their secondary was poor in 2018, allowing 252.8 passing yards per game (ranked 23rd in the NFL).

The Giants’ safety position was heavily disappointing in 2018. Big Blue started safety Curtis Riley in all 16 games, despite him being one of the worst-graded safeties in the NFL. He posted a 58.1 overall Pro Football Focus grade which ranked 79th in the league at his position. Riley missed a position-high 23 tackles in 2018.

Fortunately, Dave Gettleman and the Giants have upgraded their safety position. They let Landon Collins walk in free agency to avoid paying him a record-breaking contract, but they traded for a super talented, young safety (Jabrill Peppers) to replace Landon Collins.

Opposite of Jabrill Peppers, the Giants signed veteran safety Antoine Bethea. Bethea will mentor Jabrill Peppers for the foreseeable future, using his 13 years of experience to teach the 3rd year safety.

Why Bethea Will Be An Excellent Mentor:

Antoine Bethea signed with the New York Giants to provide consistency and stability to the backend. Bethea has been in the league for 13 years. He is now 34 years old, but still highly efficient.

In 2018, Antoine Bethea totaled an impressive 121 tackles, 4 passes defended, 3 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. Bethea played as a strong safety for the majority of his career, but he converted to free safety in 2018. Antoine Bethea will play free safety with the New York Giants.

This will give Jabrill Peppers the opportunity to play strong safety with the Giants. Peppers is primed for a breakout season with Big Blue in 2019. He flashed his potential in 2018 after improving his tackle total to 79 and his PFF grade to 77.6 (19th in the league).

Peppers is a truly versatile, do-it-all safety. Fortunately for Peppers, Antoine Bethea was once a swiss-army-knife on the backend, too.

In 2007, Bethea was more of a pass-defending, speedy safety. He allowed just a 50.2 passer rating in coverage in 2007, logging 4 picks and 3 pass breakups in the process. Now, he is a run-defending, pass-rushing ace in the secondary.

In 2018, Bethea recorded 12 total pressures (six hurries, three hits, three sacks) across 42 pass-rush snaps. He was the most productive pass-rushing safety in the league last season.

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Bethea’s evolution as a player over the past 13 years has been marvelous to watch. Antoine has adjusted his versatile game to a playing style that fits his age. Age has turned Bethea into a bit more of a one-dimensional player, but this his prior experiences will come in handy as he mentors Jabrill Peppers.

Antoine Bethea and Jabrill Peppers are already connecting. According to head coach Pat Shurmur, Peppers and Bethea are “working well together.” Both of these safeties have come up with highlight interceptions during spring practices. The tandem is looking sharp and ready to compete in 2019.

New York Giants: Shurmur Talks About Baker, Daniel Jones, After First Minicamp Day

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New York Giants cornerback, DeAndre Baker.

Training camp is coming up in July for the New York Giants – before that happens, however, the team will have mandatory minicamp following the finish of OTAs. The first day of that mandatory minicamp already happened, giving us a look at several of the season’s most anticipated players. Daniel Jones, DeAndre Baker, Jabrill Peppers, and others took to the field – and reports are coming out about what we can take away from the first day of minicamp.

Head coach Pat Shurmur had some things to say about a number of players following the day’s activities.

“He obviously moves around well. He is down there around the 4.6 mark,” Pat Shurmur said while talking about Daniel Jones, and how his running skills from college translate to the Giants. “I think he had 17 rushing touchdowns. He can move around and that is a huge part. If a quarterback can move around, not so much on just structured runs but the ability to be able to create a play within a passing play, I think he can do that.”

Eli Manning’s lack of mobility is something that has been criticized, especially last season, so it will be interesting to see the differences offered by Jones’ skillset, even if both players are primarily pocket passing quarterbacks.

Shurmur also talked about the secondary and particularly, Deandre Baker and new safety Jabrill Peppers. “I think he has made a play or two at each practice. Again, just learning how to compete at this level. Unfortunately, you can’t do a whole bunch of bump and run and press coverage, so the corners are at a little bit of a disadvantage. However, you need to learn to play off and for him to be able to make plays in those situations is good,” Shurmur said about Baker.

But it looks like Peppers is already off to a quicker start comparatively, as the more experienced player between the two. “It doesn’t really apply to Jabrill because his leadership was felt immediately…” Shurmur said when asked about Pepper’s development as a leader. “He picked up quickly what we were doing on defense well and he is extremely smart. He is very tough and very competitive.”

There largely hasn’t been negative press around the Giants since offseason activities began. While that may be a result of moving on from a number of players this offseason, time will tell whether dumping said players was a wise move for the team’s success on the field.

New York Giants: Is Jabrill Peppers An Upgrade Over Landon Collins?

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The New York Giants traded Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns that sent Jabrill Peppers to New York.

The New York Giants have made numerous controversial decisions in the 2019 NFL offseason. One decision that was met with a lot of criticism was the decision to let Landon Collins walk in free agency.

Landon Collins was a captain on the Giants’ defense in 2018. He was also voted to the Pro Bowl for the third year in a row. He was an ultimate fan favorite, but Giants general manager Dave Gettleman did not hesitate to let him walk away for nothing in return this March.

The departure of the Giants’ defensive captain left a giant hole on the back end of the defense. Gettleman quickly recognized this and made an acquisition to fix it. The Giants received the young, do-it-all safety Jabrill Peppers in a trade with the Browns.

The media has painted this out to be a disastrous move for Big Blue. But was it really? Is Landon Collins irreplaceable, or will Jabrill Peppers exceed expectations?

Why Jabrill Peppers Will Be An Upgrade:

Landon Collins was awarded 1st-Team All-Pro in 2016 with the New York Giants. Collins a strong Defensive Player of the Year candidate that season. His incredible development with the team won him over with the fans and leaves high expectations for his replacement.

Some fans have already written Jabrill Peppers off. However, despite his high expectations, there are reasons to believe he will exceed them and prove to be an upgrade.

An Improvement In Pass Defense:

Landon Collins was a great run-defending, in-the-box strong safety during his time in New York. However, he was pretty much limited to this role in the past two seasons. He struggled in pass defense the past two seasons, which fans point out while discussing why the Giants moved on from the safety. This is something that third-year safety Jabrill Peppers already does better than Collins.

Peppers is a versatile safety who excels in run defense but is also solid in pass defense, unlike Collins. According to Pro Football Focus, Landon Collins posted a coverage grade of only 68.2 in 2018, ranked 45th out of all safeties in the NFL. PFF even went so far to say Collins would be a better linebacker than safety for this reason.

Jabrill Peppers’s Pro Football Focus coverage grade was much better than Landon Collins’s. Peppers recorded a coverage grade of 77.3. This was a 15.6 point improvement over his rookie season’s coverage grade.

Collins has struggled to play deep safety throughout his career because of his angles and lack of top-end speed got exposed down the field. All six of his pass-breakups in 2018 came either underneath or guarding the slot. Peppers also struggled as a deep safety but has excelled when playing a variety of positions.

Jabrill Peppers is a truly versatile, swiss army knife on defense. In 2018, Peppers was leaps and bounds ahead of where he was in 2017. This is because of the unique way the Browns used him in their defense. Most of his snaps were played at safety (281 snaps), but he played a lot of snaps at linebacker (172 snaps), edge (133 snaps), and slot cornerback (108 snaps), too, according to Pro Football Focus.

This lead to a better statistical season from Jabrill Peppers. He played all 16 games and finished with 79 combined tackles, 1 interception, 5 passes defended, 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 fumble recoveries.

Jabrill Peppers’s superior coverage skills will make him an upgrade over Landon Collins. Peppers has the ability to defend the run just as well as Collins. However, Collins’s inability to cover lead to his demise with Big Blue. Jabrill Peppers should not face similar issues.

Better Contractual Value:

Jabrill Peppers is also a better player in terms of value. Jabrill is entering his third season, meaning he is still on a rookie contract. His cap hit in 2019 is a measly $1,405,181 and $1,875,271 in 2020.

This is incredible value in comparison to Landon Collins’s $84 million contract with a yearly average cap hit of $14 million, especially when considering their similar playstyle and Peppers’s potential to be the better player.

He even looks better wearing number 21 as a New York Giant:

Jabrill Peppers is going to be the best player on the Giants’ new defense. Collins was arguably the best player on the Giants’ old defense. Peppers has big shoes to fill, but in James Bettcher’s hybrid defense, Peppers should thrive.

New York Giants: Jabrill Peppers Has “A Great Presence” So Far

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The New York Giants acquired Jabrill Peppers in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.

It was a huge deal when the New York Giants traded Odell Beckham Jr., and it’s almost easy to just focus on Beckham’s departure without remembering that the Giants got a player in return for Beckham along with the 17th pick in the draft. That player happened to be Jabrill Peppers, the safety that’s expected to fill in for Landon Collins this year as the leader of the safeties.

Peppers, of course, isn’t the most experienced player at the position. Antoine Bethea is the much older of the two and Michael Thomas is also the older player. However, neither of those players are coming into the season with the same expectations as Peppers, who has been hyped since his college days at Michigan.

Despite the high expectations, however, it looks like Peppers is handling thing well for now during OTAs.

“You can look to him and see that he has that about him. He has a great presence. If you are around him on a day-to-day basis, you can see that he will quickly become one of the guys where you say, ‘OK, he’s got it.’ He loves playing football and has a lot of fun doing it and a lot of fun competing. I think that is part of his charm and what makes him special. He is so darn competitive. It shows up naturally,” Pat Shurmur said on Tuesday.

And Peppers is also gaining popularity with Bethea, who will play next to him at safety this season. “Peppers, he likes to play down in the box, get his hands on guys, he can cover. I can play on the back end, and do a multitude of things. I think we can play off of each other very well. I think it’s going to be a good connection between the two of us,” Bethea stated.

Peppers has two years of experience and had his best season last year when he registered 79 tackles and 5 tackles for a loss. It’s not quite the same production as Collins, who had 96 tackles in 2018, but Giants fans will be hoping that two years of prior experience will be enough for Peppers to come into his own more and be the main player at safety that the Giants need with the absence of Collins from this year’s roster.

How the New York Giants have upgraded the secondary significantly

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New York Giants cornerback, Grant Haley.

The New York Giants spent plenty of capital fixing up the secondary this offseason, bringing Jabrill Peppers, Antoine Bethea, DeAndre Baker, Julian Love, and Corey Ballentine.

Considering the unit only consisted of Janoris Jenkins, Grant Haley, and Sam Beal before the 2019 NFL Draft, it’s impressive how far the unit has come in such a short period of time. However, most of the players featured here haven’t played a snap in an NFL game, which is noted.

Aside from that fact, the talent added provides a reason for excitement. Baker is a first-round value pick, Love was a projected second-round talent that fell to the fourth, and Ballentine was projected to go in the fourth and fell to the sixth. Peppers was a former first-round selection that struggled at times with misuse in Cleveland, and Bethea is a seasoned veteran that has plenty of gas left in the tank.

As I said before, plenty of talent and reason for excitement. So far in OTAs, the secondary has completely locked down the offense, forcing Eli Manning to sail throws out of bounds and Daniel Jones to show his rookie jitters.

The Giants are very happy with Baker so far, stating:

“No one seems to get very open on DeAndre Baker,” John Schmeelk of Giants.com wrote. “The young outside cornerbacks are showing promise and ability, and their development will continue in training camp as they figure out how much contact they can get away with beyond five yards.”

Beal as well:

Shurmur stated that the third-round Supplemental Draft pick has looked good and is getting his sea legs under him. Julian Love scooped up a fumble from Elijah Penny on Tuesday and took it to the house for the virtual score.

I’m curious to see some of the position battles that will ensue between the cornerbacks this offseason.

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New York Giants top corner position battles:

There are two specific battles that I’m very excited to watch — DeAndre Baker vs Sam Beal & Julian Love vs Grant Haley.

Some might not think Baker vs Beal is much of a battle, considering where Baker was drafted and the talent he faced at Georgia. However, Beal is feisty and has shown his abilities in a small sample size so far during OTAs. The competitive nature will bring the best out of both, which is exactly what the Giants want to happen.

Between Haley and Love, I believe the former will win the job simply based on experience. Love will be close behind and would be first in line if Haley looks replaceable.

New York Giants: Jabrill Peppers and Antoine Bethea Already Connecting

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New York Giants cornerback, DeAndre Baker.

The New York Giants brought in a slew of new players to help upgrade the secondary this offseason, two of which are Jabrill Peppers, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, and Antoine Bethea, coming from the Arizona Cardinals.

Peppers had an uneventful career in Cleveland, but he’s already showing he can be a playmaker for the Giants and defensive coordinator, James Bettcher. The diverse safety has the ability to play in coverage in the slot and against tight ends. He can also play the run and blitz the passer. Peppers is a true “Swiss Army Knife” type of player – do it all.

Bettcher will surely utilize him all over the field, something he couldn’t necessarily do with Landon Collins. Bethea, however, made the transition to free safety several seasons ago as age inevitably caught up with him. He’s familiar with Bettcher’s scheme and has shown promise as a free safety as of late.

Bethea racked up 121 combined tackles, four passes defended, three sacks, and one forced fumble in 2018. His abilities in coverage should present an upgrade over Curtis Riley, in addition to his veteran leadership which will be implemented o the rookies.

How have the defenders looked so far for the New York Giants?

So far during OTAs, the duo has shown chemistry and playmaking ability. In the first day of practice, Peppers secured an interception off a Sam Beal tipped pass, and in day 4 of practice, Bethea came up with a pick.

Coach Pat Shurmur stated after the practice:

“Antoine Bethea had an interception today. He’s communicating really well with [Jabrill] Peppers…you can see they’re in the right spots and we’re really pleased with where they’re at.”

“Peppers loves to play football, he’s very vocal, him and Bethea are working well together.”

Positioning is extremely important for safeties, as we saw last year with Riley who seemed to take the wrong angle on nearly every play. Pairing an elite athlete in Peppers with a savvy veteran like Bethea should present not only an upgrade but an exciting pair to enjoy over the course of the season.

 

 

New York Giants: Grading the offseason acquisitions

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The New York Giants acquired Jabrill Peppers in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade.

The New York Giants made various impactful offseason moves to help bolster the team in terms of talent and cap space. The cap-space factor won’t kick in until the 2020 season, but several players were added to help elevate the quality of play for the foreseeable future.

Trading away Olivier Vernon and Odell Beckham Jr. played a big part in the turnover of the team and the securing of several new players. We will grade and evaluate all new players with the exemption of draft picks.

New York Giants: grading the acquisitions

1.) OLB Markus Golden

Contract: 1 year, $4.75 Million

The Giants brought in Golden to help supplement the loss of Vernon at the outside linebacker position. Three years ago, Golden recorded 12.5 sacks under defensive coordinator James Bettcher, so the hopes are that he can replicate that same production in 2019.

Coming off a significant knee injury, it’s fair we limit our expectations for the former Cardinal defender, but there’s plenty of value to be had.

Grade: B

2.) WR Golden Tate

Contract: 4 years, $37 Million

The Giants locked up the top receiver in the NFL in the yards-after-catch category this offseason. Tate is a stellar pass-catcher with trustworthy hands, however, his contract is certainly bloated. He was brought in to fill Odell Beckham Jr.’s role, while at a much lower level.

Tate will be a good player on the field and in the locker room, which elevates his value. At 30-years-old, the Giants are investing a lot in a player that will end his career in Blue at 34.

Grade: B-

3.) SS Jabrill Peppers

Contract: 2 years remaining, $3,280,452

The Giants secured Peppers in the Beckham trade with the Cleveland Browns, bringing in a defender that has immense potential. Peppers will cost a fraction of what Landon Collins was asking for in free agency, and he has the skill-set to be even more impactful.

Peppers is a New Jersey native so he will be returning to his home town. What I like most about Peppers are his diverse abilities that range from coverage to stopping the run. He has a similar frame to Collins but is much faster and has better hands. He’s not the type of defender that will fill be a force in the run game, but he can do everything at an average to an above-average level. I imagine Bettcher will utilize him in various different ways in 2019.

Based on his potential, this was a great acquisition for the Giants.

Grade: A-

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4.) RG Kevin Zeitler

Contract: 3 years, $32 Million

The Giants brought in right guard Kevin Zeitler to fill a role on the offensive line that was inhabited by Jamon Brown mid-way through the 2018 season. Brown was a major addition that saw the Giants take a massive jump offensively, especially in the run game. Let’s keep in mind, Brown was ranked as the #62 guard in the NFL last season.

Bringing in Zeitler will improve the offensive front tremendously. He ranked as the #6 guard in ’18. His influence will be impactful and will help Eli Manning operate at his best level. Saquon Barkley will also reap the benefits of his prowess in the trenches.

I believe this was, in fact, the best addition for the Giants.

Grade: A

5.) RT Mike Remmers

Contract: 1 year, $2.5 Million

The Giants needed to upgrade the right tackle spot this offseason and they did so by means of former Minnesota Viking, Mike Remmers.

Remmers is coming off back surgery but is expected to partake in training camp this offseason. Hopefully, the surgery will return him to his former glory as he attempts to fight off Chad Wheeler for the starting job. I believe he will earn the role, and it will benefit the Giants’ offensive line significantly.

We might finally see Manning protected enough for him to blink twice in the pocket. On a one-year deal, the Giants aren’t giving up much to test the waters with Remmers, especially if they plan on addressing the position with youth in 2020. Nonetheless, a solid signing here.

Grade: B