Jabrill Peppers arrived in New England during the 2022 offseason joining one of the deepest and most talented position groups on the roster. It wasn't exactly clear how Peppers would get on the field for the defense at that time behind so many established starters, but his fit as a safety/linebacker hybrid was obvious.
That mix of a strong safety and weakside linebacker has become a key component of the 2020's Patriots defense, so even without an obvious spot to stuff Peppers into the lineup, it seemed likely he'd find a way to contribute.
Peppers eased his way into things as he continued to recover from a 2021 knee injury, then started to make an impact, including a breakout game against the Jets in which he led the team in defensive stops, delivered a key block on a punt return and then capped the day off by recovering the final onsides kick.