Big change made ahead of Jabrill Peppers' return to Patriots lineup this week

The Patriots' secondary has been questionable for most of the 2024 season, with nearly every player struggling besides cornerback Christian Gonzalez. It has been a disappointing development considering how good they were over the last few years, with the lackluster performances of Kyle Dugger and Jonathan Jones being the most notable.

That made the legal issues Jabrill Peppers was dealing with that inevitably got him placed on the Commissioner's exempt list all the more devastating, as he has consistently been one of the best players on the defense in its entirety.

He was taken off that list last week and became available to play as soon as Week 13 against the Colts, which he did, and led the team in total tackles for the day. Clearly, he was well missed in the seven games he was sidelined for.

While his performance was something of note while watching the game unfold, another aspect of his return stood out to fans and reporters: the lack of a captain patch on his jersey. He was named one of the six captains at the start of the season for the first time since signing with New England, but it appears that he was stripped due to his ongoing legal issues.

Peppers addressed the change when speaking to reporters post-game, stating it was a "mutual decision" to no longer hold the title.

Given the severity of the allegations made against Peppers, it makes sense why the coaching staff felt it was in the best interest of the team to keep another player as captain instead. It is also good to hear that Peppers agreed to it as well, seemingly acknowledging the distraction he was and could still be to the team moving forward, given that his court date is set for next month.

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