As a rookie things did not come easy for Jabrill Peppers during his rookie campaign. Now in his second season Peppers appears to be one of the better safeties in the league.
There were rough spots all over the place for the Cleveland Browns in 2017. Jabrill Peppers was not immune to the issues that plagued the team. Due to a lack of talent on defense Peppers often lined up extremely far away from the line of scrimmage. One on hand it allows a rookie to survey the field and get a better idea of how the NFL game works. On the other hand it did not force Peppers to get used to being in the middle of the action and making plays.
At times Peppers would appear lost or unable to make a play on defense. Whether it was unsure of what exactly was happening on offense or taking bad angles to the ball. Both instances occurred much too often in his first season. Some of this is can be attributed to where he was lined up. There is also the fact that he was a rookie and there is an adjustment period.
What is different in 2018?
Well for starters Jabrill Peppers is not lining up super deep every play. Cleveland is utilizing his unique skill set all over the field defensively. Rather than lining up in Lake Erie, Peppers lines up on the edge, in the box, out wide and in the slot. His versatility has allowed him to line up anywhere on the field. Peppers’ usage as a deep free safety has essentially cut in half compared to last season.
Peppers is being used closer to the line of scrimmage this season and is making impact plays when doing so. Most notably the sack of Case Keenum on 4th down to seal the victory Saturday against the Broncos. That sack was the first in Peppers’ career. This season Peppers has registered three hits on the quarterback compared to zero last year. Also Peppers has three tackles for loss compared to one in 2018.
Even in pass coverage Peppers has improved. As a rookie Peppers had three pass defenses, he has five this year. The interception numbers are still the same, one as a rookie and one this season. This season’s interception also coming from this past Saturday in Denver.
The difference between Peppers as a rookie and Peppers in this second year is night and day. A combination of better usage, better teammates and experience goes a long way and Peppers has shown just that every game this season.
