The Pittsburgh Steelers just signed S Jabrill Peppers, adding veteran depth to the secondary after losing S DeShon Elliott last week to a knee injury, which is expected to sideline Elliott for a couple of weeks.
Peppers will work to jump on the moving train quickly as Pittsburgh gears up to face the Seattle Seahawks this coming Sunday in Pittsburgh. Peppers is up for the challenge, having played in 99 career games with 85 starts, and having a wealth of experience that the veteran safety brings to the table.
THE FILM
When you watch the tape on Peppers, you quickly see why he was an ideal choice to help both fill Elliott’s shoes while he misses time and add extra depth to Pittsburgh’s safety room. The 5-11, 217-pound Peppers is a physical defender with the demeanor of a rugged linebacker at the position. He is willing to stick his face in the fan as an aggressive tackler.
As you can see in the clip below, he brings some nasty on contact, blowing up WR Davante Adams while coming from downhill, separating the ball from the man just like Jalen Ramsey did last weekend to seal the victory for Pittsburgh.
Peppers has played all over the field during his time in the league, lining up in the box, in the slot, as a deep safety, and even on the edge on occasion. His size, strength, and demeanor make him a strong option in run support, just like Elliott has been for Pittsburgh. He fights through and around blocks to make tackles near the line of scrimmage, like he does in the reps below against the New York Jets.
For being sub-220 pounds, Peppers plays much bigger than his listed size would suggest. He is willing to take on tight ends and offensive tackles as a downhill run defender and fight pressure to make plays. Watch this rep against the Colts, where Peppers fights the block of the tight end, taking on his inside shoulder and knocking him backward, getting in position to trip up QB Anthony Richardson on the designed QB run.
When it comes to coverage, Peppers is a better zone coverage defender than in man coverage, being at his best when he is freed up to make drops into space and use his eyes and instincts to make plays on the football. Check out this interception Peppers gets against Josh Allen and the Bills, where he drops initially to the flat, but then floats upward as he sees Allen target TE Dalton Kincaid, jumping the route for the pick.
Peppers is a capable strong safety, but he has also seen plenty of time as a deep free safety, making his drops into coverage and making plays on the football. Here’s a flashback to when Peppers picked off Mitch Trubisky back in 2023 as he dropped back on the snap. He then read the play and undercut the route, snagging the interception and managing to pick up some additional yardage on the runback.
Peppers missed a good amount of time last season with foot and hamstring injuries, but he still managed to make 40 total tackles (20 solo) and picked off a pass in six games played. His interception came against San Francisco, where he helped double cover WR Brandon Aiyuk, drifting upward in coverage to step in front of Aiyuk for the pick in the end zone.
As mentioned earlier, Peppers’ man coverage isn’t as great as the big safety isn’t as fleet of foot, giving up initial separation to the tight end in the clip above on the in-breaking route. However, his pursuit does stick out on tape as he chases after QB Jaxson Dart scrambling from the pocket. Peppers arrives on the scene to recover the fumble by Dart, securing the turnover in preseason play this year.
Peppers may be just out of his prime at nearly 30 years old, but he is still a physical, aggressive safety who can help fill Elliott’s absence while he is sidelined. Once Elliott returns, Peppers can still be a contributing member in Pittsburgh’s secondary. He has that versatility that HC Mike Tomlin has emphasized adding to his roster this offseason, as Peppers can feasibly line up nearly anywhere asked of him.
Peppers will have to get on the moving train to be able to see action this coming weekend against the Seahawks. Still, expect to see Peppers get thrown out there in select packages while mixing in with Chuck Clark as Juan Thornhill mans the other safety spot, having the opportunity to earn more playing time the faster he can get the playbook down and adjust to his new home in the Black and Gold.
