New York Giants: Why Jabrill Peppers Will Be An Improved Player In 2020

New York Giants, Jabrill Peppers
Anthony Rivardo (Edit)

A Return To Form

Peppers missed the final five games of the Giants’ 2019 season with a fracture on his vertebra. Jabrill lost his athleticism, “wincing” upon taking small steps, but he has worked hard to regain that same explosiveness this offseason. The NY Post spoke with Jabrill’s trainer this week:

“He looks like he did as a [New Jersey] state champion sprinter,” trainer Brian Walker told The Post. “Movement-wise, he looks free. He’s maintained that speed and strength, even though he is leaning up.” – Via Ryan Dunleavy of the NY Post

Jabrill Peppers has been training hard this offseason to return to the field without missing a step in 2020. So far, the hard work has more than paid off as Peppers has made athletic improvements from last season. His trainer, Brian Walker, even thinks Peppers could play cornerback in the future and compared Peppers to 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore.

Could the New York Giants really look to convert Peppers into a cornerback as he enters his fourth season? Byron Jones made the transition from safety to cornerback in his fourth NFL season with the Cowboys. Maybe with his improved athleticism, Jabrill Peppers could make that transition and propel himself to stardom. But if the Giants continue Jabrill’s career at the safety position, which they likely will, his improved athleticism will lead him to an excellent 2020 season in a new defensive scheme.