Steelers missed on Peppers
Jabrill Peppers is a name that made a lot of sense for the Steelers heading into the offseason. The former first-round pick has everything that the team looks for in a player: pedigree, athleticism, and pre-draft interest. He suffered an injury last season with the Giants, but before that, he was playing some relatively strong football.
With the Steelers strong safety still a major concern, adding Peppers for a relatively inexpensive contract would have made sense. Peppers plays the strong safety role well, as he plays with a linebacker’s instincts and relies on his athleticism to make plays in coverage. He is far from a perfect player at this point in his career, but he would have been a serviceable starter at the very least.
For only 2 million dollars, the Patriots got a great deal in Peppers. While he has plenty of flaws in his game, he is still a capable starter that will be looking to rebuild his value. The Steelers would have been a great team to provide that, but alas a deal wasn’t reached. He would have solved the team’s short-term issues at strong safety in a heartbeat.