Cincinnati Bengals Should Pursue Jabrill Peppers in Free Agency

Cincinnati Bengals On SI

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00:00And let's dive into really the biggest weakness I think that fans are focused on.

00:05And you have Geno Stone, you have Jordan Battle, you have Tyson Anderson, all three of those

00:09guys you feel really good about.

00:11PJ Jules made the initial 53-man roster, and feel really good as relative, right?

00:16But the Bengals feel good about those guys, to be clear.

00:19But they could use a veteran.

00:23You know it, I know it, everybody knows it.

00:24Geno Stone, from years in the NFL standpoint, is a veteran, but he hasn't started his whole

00:30career.

00:30Jordan Battle, this is his first true year of getting significant playing time, and they're

00:35banking on him, and he's an unknown.

00:37Geno Stone, in Cincinnati, is an unknown.

00:41Tyson Anderson, and I love Tyson's game, he's still an unknown at the safety position, and

00:46that's why when ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that Jabril Peppers, the 29-year-old former

00:53first-round pick, Jabril Peppers, is going to be released by the New England Patriots,

00:58one of the best defenders that the Patriots had last year.

01:01Well, you better believe that I'm interested in that.

01:05Jabril Peppers had an 82.3 overall pro football focus grade last year.

01:08The year before that, 87.3.

01:10The year before that, 75.

01:12There's a lot of green and close to green in his career, and this is a guy that was a

01:19failed first-round pick in Cleveland.

01:22Then he goes to New York with the Giants, plays pretty well, goes to the Patriots, and

01:26has played really well, and is the exact kind of player that the Bengals need on the back

01:32end.

01:32He's proven.

01:33He's experienced.

01:35He's someone that's played multiple spots.

01:37He's played free safety.

01:38He's played strong safety.

01:39He's aligned in multiple different spots.

01:41And I looked up pro football focus because they did safety rankings earlier this year.

01:45He was 12th.

01:46He was 12th.

01:47Over the past three seasons, he has earned a 90.1 PFF overall grade, which ranks third

01:52among 96 qualifying safeties.

01:54He is a really good player.

01:57Let's be honest.

01:58He's a really good player.

01:59He's made 26 starts, appeared in 38 games for the Patriots over the past three seasons,

02:03178 tackles, nine for loss, three picks, two forced fumbles, and a sack over that span.

02:08Now, full disclosure, he was and only did play in six games last year because he was

02:15accused of assault and battery.

02:17That was something that was acquitted.

02:19He was acquitted from or in when was it was in January and his attorney at the time, and

02:26I put this entire quote on bengalstalk.com says, I usually say, quote, my client was found not

02:31guilty.

02:31But in this case, I will say he was found innocent given the state of the evidence, given how quickly

02:36the jury returned their verdict.

02:38They knew it was a joke.

02:39And so this was something that kept him off the field.

02:43It was a very serious matter.

02:45And it sounds like it's something that quickly, quickly got dismissed.

02:50And so, yeah, I don't think that's why he's being released by the Patriots.

02:54This is a surprise.

02:55And a lot of you are going to ask that.

02:57I would say this.

02:58When you look at the Patriots, they were shopping Kyle Duggar.

03:04Maybe they decided, hey, we're not going to keep Kyle Duggar, but we need to shore up safety

03:09a little bit.

03:10Get rid of someone safety wise.

03:12And maybe they go with Peppers, who is due $4.32 million in guarantees.

03:16And maybe they trade him between now and cut down on Friday.

03:20Or maybe they hold him till Monday and then they trade him or try to.

03:23But if Jabril Peppers hits the market, or even if he doesn't for the right trade price,

03:28the Bengals should absolutely be interested.

03:31Much like how Dalton Reisner completes the puzzle in the offensive line room.

03:36Peppers would do that because he can do what Jordan Battle does.

03:39He can do what you're asking Geno Stone to do.

03:41He can do what you're asking both of those guys to do.

03:43And it just shores everything up.

03:45Like if you're telling me that, oh, well, Geno Stone's nicked up.

03:48Okay, well, that's fine.

03:50Well, Jabril Peppers can play alongside Tyson Anderson or alongside Jordan Battle or alongside

03:57Geno Stone.

03:58Just really fixes that room.

04:00And Tyson Anderson, he can be a really good special teams player.

04:04We know that.

04:05And so if you move PJ Jules down to practice squad, let's say, and then you bump up Tyson

04:11Anderson into more of a special teams only role, and then you go with a guy like this, it

04:16makes a ton of sense.

04:17So count me in.

04:19I'm all in on it, but he's not the only safety out there.

04:23And he's certainly not the only safety that's eyeing the Bengals as a destination.

04:27Yesterday, we heard from Dalton Reisner and how he just was eyeing Cincinnati, couldn't

04:31get Cincinnati out of his mind, wanted to play for the Bengals.

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