Patriots DB Jabrill Peppers Reinstated By NFL

New England Patriots star safety Jabrill Peppers has been reinstated by the NFL.

Sep 8, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers (5) celebrates following the win over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. / Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Early this season, the New England Patriots lost star safety Jabrill Peppers to concerning off the field issues. He had been arrested back in October on charges that included strangulation and drug possession.

Since then, there have been questions about whether or not Peppers would ever play again for the Patriots.

Now, there is more news to share about the situation.

According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, Peppers has been reinstated and is no longer on the commissioner exempt list. That could mean that the safety is set to return to the field for New England in the near future.

Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers was reinstated Monday, and is no longer on the commissioner exempt list, the league announced.

— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) November 25, 2024

Of course, that will have to be confirmed by the Patriots. No one should rush expectations that he'll be back on the field immediately. However, there is reason for optimism that the secondary is about to get a major boost.

During the 2024 NFL season, Peppers has played in four games. He racked up 23 tackles, an interception, and two defended passes in those appearances.

At 29 years old, Peppers has been a key leader for the New England defense. Losing him was a massive blow to the secondary and to the entire defense as a whole.

Peppers is also under contract for next season. If the legal issues are behind him, he would also project to be a starter at safety in 2025. Having him back would be a big boost.

Obviously, this is a fluid situation and there is no official word about when he'll be back on the field. It's a big step in that direction, but nothing has been set in stone yet.

All of that being said, this is clearly big news even though the team is already out of playoff contention with a 3-9 record. Peppers being back with the team and projecting as a key piece in 2025 once again would help clear up one potential offseason need.

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