The Pittsburgh Steelers have reportedly made a move in their safeties room and it could be bad news for safety DeShon Elliott.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Steelers are signing former first-round pick and safety Jabrill Peppers. The financial terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.
The signing of Peppers comes days after Elliott suffered a knee injury that knocked him out of the Week 1 game against the New York Jets early. The move could indicate that Elliott is going to miss time with his knee injury.
After the game, head coach Mike Tomlin did not provide an update on the veteran, only saying he was “being evaluated.”
Peppers entered the league as a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2017. He was traded to the New York Giants as part of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade in 2019 and then spent the last three seasons with the New England Patriots.
Peppers was a surprise cut of the Patriots after cutdown day. He was slated to start for New England before his release. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel revealed the move had nothing to do with his fit in the defense.
“That was not the issue. We’re going to try to do what is best for the team. We have a lot of different schemes we can run in all three phase,” Vrabel said of the move to cut Peppers. “There is a lot that goes into it, and we are just trying to build toward Sunday. That was a decision we had to make and I wish the best for Jabrill.”
A former team captain for the Patriots, Peppers brings leadership and versatility to the Steelers’ defense with his experience playing in the slot, in the box and back deep.
He offers a fantastic option to replace Elliott if the Steelers safety is forced to miss time.
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