The Pittsburgh Steelers needed a new safety. DeShon Elliott is injured.
They found their man in free agency in the form of a player who once had a magnificent pedigree: Jabril Peppers.
Peppers spent the summer with the New England Patriots but was a surprising cut when rosters dropped down to their 53-man versions for the regular season.
And now, Peppers will sign with the Steelers, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
MORE: 'Have a little faith': How Bills pulled off unbelievable comeback to stun Ravens
Is Jabril Peppers good?
Jabril Peppers was supposed to be good. He was a college star at the University of Michigan. The Cleveland Browns drafted him No. 25 overall, a first-round pick, in 2017.
Most of his NFL career has been a bit erratic, though.
He made one interception apiece in each of his first four NFL seasons. After two seasons with the Browns, he spent the next three years with the Giants, then three with the Pats.
New England decided not to keep him for a fourth campaign.
Peppers has seven career NFL interceptions in 99 games, along with 511 tackles. In 2024, he played just six games for the Patriots, recording 40 tackles and one INT.
He's still got good traits, but he's not the game-changing player he was once expected to be.
MORE: Jerry Jeudy refused to lateral on final play, instead conveniently hit his betting over
How old is Jabril Peppers?
Jabril Peppers is 29 years old. His birthday is October 4, when he'll turn 30.
Jabril Peppers 40 time
Peppers was always thought of as a stellar athlete.
Back at the 2017 NFL Draft Combine, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds. He also had a 35.5-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot-8 broad jump.
He likely doesn't quite have those numbers as he approaches 30, but he's still a strong athlete.
Jabril Peppers career stats
- 99 games (85 starts)
- 7 interceptions
- 1 interception TD
- 511 total tackles (331 solo, 180 assists)
MORE NFL NEWS:
- Tyler Warren, Harold Fannin broke same NFL tight end record at same time in Week 1
- J.J. McCarthy played the best debut 4th quarter in NFL history
- Emeka Egbuka is the hero for the Buccaneers in his NFL debut
- Aaron Rodgers tied an impressive Tom Brady NFL record
- Derrick Henry passes Jim Brown on legendary NFL record list
- What went wrong with Ja'Marr Chase in Week 1 for the Bengals?