The New York Giants have put together a young, talented secondary entering the 2020 NFL season. New York has invested plenty of assets into its defensive secondary over the past two years. The Giants drafted three defensive backs in 2019, signed James Bradberry to a lucrative contract in 2020, then drafted three more defensive backs in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Possibly the most crucial acquisition in the secondary, though, was a trade made in the 2019 offseason. The infamous Odell Beckham Jr. trade that sent New York’s star receiver to Cleveland yielded the Giants a talented, young safety: Jabrill Peppers.
Flashes Of Great Potential
In his first season with the New York Giants, Jabrill Peppers had flashes of greatness. The potential was clearly there. Unfortunately, where there were great moments, there were also poor moments. Jabrill was inconsistent in the Giants’ defense last season, as he had been in his first two seasons with the Browns. This could have been a product of the Giants’ inefficient defensive scheme that saw a number of talented players struggle in 2019.
Despite the struggles, there was enough shown by Peppers on the field to convince the Giants that he has a future with the team. New York picked up his fifth-year option, a no-brainer decision considering the financial bargain. Jabrill was productive in 2019, being somewhat of a turnover-machine.
Peppers forced 3 fumbles in 2019 and had 1 interception which he took back to the end zone. Peppers also defended 5 passes, totaled 76 tackles and 5 tackles for loss, all in an 11-game span. He did miss 11 tackles, though, and allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 63.9% of passes for 268 yards and 1 touchdown against him. These numbers are not terrible by any means, but they definitely exhibit room for improvement.
Luckily for the Giants, there is reason to expect improvement out of Jabrill Peppers in 2020.