The New England Patriots have one of the great what-if players in Jabrill Peppers. In college, Peppers was a do-it-all player for the Michigan Wolverines. He played both sides of the ball and was one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft. However, injuries have hampered his NFL career. Most recently, he tore his ACL and has been rehabbing for a long time. He has spent the offseason getting healthy and in a recent interview said that he was feeling great.
New England Patriots Jabrill Peppers Putting Injuries Behind Him
Peppers had this to say to reporters during minicamp.
“I feel explosive again, I feel fast again. But I’m still a long ways away. They say it’s a two- to three-year injury before you’re fully, fully healed, but right now I feel pretty good. [Moses Cabrera] and those guys have done a good job with the strength and conditioning program, building my muscle up, helping me get back on my feet.”
Peppers is ready to be a huge part of a winning team. The talent is there but he has to show that he can stay on the field. He is one of the interesting pieces on this Patriots team.
Expectations For The Patriots
The AFC East is loaded. The consensus is that the Patriots are the worst team in the division. I doubt the division rivals are treating them that way though. New England always seems to be able to field competitive teams. Even in a year where Matt Patricia was their offensive coordinator, they still won eight games. The Patriots are going to need players like Peppers to overperform if they are going to compete in the division and the conference as a whole.
The New England Patriots really want to see what Jabrill Peppers can do on the field. It will be tough but there is a world where they make some noise in the AFC East in 2023.