7 free-agent safeties the Vikings could sign in 2023
By Luke Parrish
Jabrill Peppers
2022 Team: New England Patriots
One of the most exciting players to come into the NFL in the past decade or so simply has not been able to find a consistent home. Jabrill Peppers was an all-time Swiss Army Knife player coming out of Michigan and has bounced around to three teams so far in his first six seasons.
Peppers is really good at playing downhill and attacking ball carriers below the waist to stop plays in their tracks. Given Brian Flores’ success with blitzing safeties, Peppers would be the perfect fit for that sort of package defender that can play in the box and terrorize opponents.
The production has fallen off over the past two seasons, with Peppers only starting 10 games in that time. However, his first two seasons with the Giants show the type of player that Jabrill Peppers can be in a defense that values his skill set.
From 2019 to 2020, Peppers recorded 167 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and five quarterback hits across 26 games. If he played at that level at a 17-game pace, Peppers would have recorded 218 tackles, 16 TFLs, and four sacks in two seasons. That’s an incredible player wherever you line him up.
In those two seasons, Peppers also snagged two interceptions, four forced fumbles, and 16 pass breakups. Brian Flores unlocking that version of him would take the Vikings’ defense to new heights.