When it's time for a team to narrow their roster down to 53 players, it is expected that there will be some unexpected moves made, especially since the NFL has now limited cuts to just one time in an offseason instead of periodically throughout August. The Patriots were one of those teams making some surprise moves after an offseason filled with plenty of that.
The thought going into the final cutdown process was that there weren't many of those kinds of moves left, given who was still on the roster, and it seemed like the final team was easy to predict. And for the most part, that's what happened.
However, that wasn't the case when it was announced a couple of days later that starting safety Jabrill Peppers was cut virtually without explanation. Mike Vrabel hasn't expanded really at all in the days since, but now that Peppers has signed with the Steelers, we're finally hearing a little bit about what might have been behind the decision.
Jabrill Peppers gives subtle answers behind why the Patriots might have released him
Although it took a little longer than expected to hear the news that a team signed him, Peppers appears to have joined the perfect team for the next chapter of his NFL career by playing for the Steelers.
Patriots fans weren't exactly thrilled about his departure, and it's even worse knowing they'll have to face him in Week 3 when the Steelers come to Gillette. But we're now hearing a little bit about what might have gone into the decision for the Patriots to release him, even if Peppers didn't go into too much detail with his response.
#Steelers SS Jabrill Peppers on why things didn't work out with the #Patriots this year:
— Alan Saunders (@ASaunders_PGH) September 10, 2025
"It just is what it is. Sometimes, you're not good enough. You play a long time in this league, you're gonna get traded or cut. ... I'm happy Tomlin made the call." pic.twitter.com/0Og3umb93m
While it's still not quite the answers fans are probably looking for, it seems like Peppers hinted enough at what the reason might be to feel it lines up with the "a lot of reasons" response Vrabel has already given.
For most of the summer, it had appeared as though he had locked up a spot on the roster, as he only suited up in the preseason for the last game, and because of the apparent interest from the new regime in trading Kyle Dugger. It was easy to believe they'd want to keep around at least one of the previous season's starters in the secondary.
So when Peppers was released, it didn't make a lot of sense, especially since Dugger made the team instead. It could prove to be a mistake if he thrives with the Steelers, and even more so if he has a good game against the Patriots next week.
But hopefully, the safety room they have will continue to grow and become a group the defense can rely on, and we won't have to continuously go back to the decision to move on from a player like Peppers, potentially too soon.