Patriots continue to reinforce secondary depth with latest free-agent signing

Jabrill Peppers is staying in New England for at least one more go-around.

As first reported by Adam Schefter on Tuesday, the Patriots are re-signing Peppers to a two-year deal. The news comes less than 24 hours before Peppers was set to officially become an unrestricted free agent. Details of the contract have yet to be reported.

Peppers represents the latest internal depth move by the Pats ahead of the start of the 2023 league year on Wednesday. The secondary has been a priority, in the wake of Devin McCourty announcing his retirement. Cornerbacks Jonathan Jones and Myles Bryant are also reportedly staying in New England.

• Peppers, 27, played in all 17 games for the Patriots in 2022, after missing most of the 2021 season with a torn ACL. He started five times and played 399 total defensive snaps (35 percent), and also played the seventh-most special teams snaps on the team. Peppers finished with one fumble recovery and 60 total tackles, including two tackles for loss.

  One of the more versatile defenders on the team, Peppers played most often as a box safety with 186 snaps, followed by 101 in the slot. He also played 42 snaps at free safety, 41 on the line, and 28 at outside corner, according to Pro Football Focus.

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  Dec 18, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers (3) warms up before a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

• Peppers’ closing speed and tackling ability make him a good fit to continue playing in the box, but Kyle Dugger also excels in that role. With McCourty gone, it’ll be interesting to see if Peppers gets more snaps playing deep. One more year removed from his torn ACL, the team is optimistic that Peppers can take a step forward and play a bigger role in 2023, and perhaps 2024.

  The Patriots still have plenty of work to do, with free agency officially kicking off Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. And they could still stand to add more size at cornerback. But the secondary is low on their list of concerns at the moment, when you compare all the position groups.

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