Fresh off signing a two-year contract with the team, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick gushed about former Michigan standout Jabrill Peppers at Tuesday’s press conference.
Asked if he saw any particular growth from Peppers going into his second season with the team, Belichick gave an unusually upbeat answer:
“Yeah. Oh my God, yeah. He’s a much different player now than he was last year at this time or even in training camp,” Belichick said.
Feeling good heading into Season 2.@JabrillPeppers prepares to play a key role in the secondary: https://t.co/Wl6jlpayp4
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) June 14, 2023
“A full year after the injury, a lot of confidence in the communication, the system, his assignments. He’s playing fast, aggressive, helping out his teammates. Last year he was trying to learn things, now he’s helping out his teammates, anticipating, making calls or adjustments that maybe help him or possibly help his teammate be in a better position to defend a certain play or type of play. Yeah, he’s been great,” the coach continued.
“He’s way ahead of where he was last year.”
Peppers appeared in all 17 games for the Patriots in 2022 following stints with the Browns and Giants. In that time, the versatile DB recorded 60 tackles and recovered a fumble.
Bill Belichick seems to be excited about what he can do with an added year of familiarity, so Patriots fans probably should be too.