Part of 2019’s Odell Beckham Jr. trade, Jabrill Peppers is going into his fifth-year option season. However, the Giants‘ three-year, $31MM extension for Logan Ryan back in December may well have signaled they are OK moving on from the former first-round pick after this season, Dan Duggan of The Athletic writes (subscription required). The Giants signed Ryan shortly after Xavier McKinney suffered a broken foot and extended him toward the end of the year. By season’s end, the team had Ryan, Peppers and McKinney available. Ryan and McKinney are signed through 2023, though Ryan has no guarantees beyond this year. While Peppers (25 starts as a Giant) would attract interest as a 2022 free agent, his role and performance this season will go a long way toward determining his long-term value.
Of the players that changed teams in that 2019 deal, Peppers, Beckham and Dexter Lawrence — the first-round pick the Browns sent to the Giants — remain with their teams. Kevin Zeitler and Olivier Vernon are not. With Beckham’s long-term status in Cleveland uncertain and Peppers in a contract year, Lawrence may be the only holdover from this trade come 2022. Here is the latest from the NFC:
- Despite Lorenzo Carter going down with an Achilles tear in October, the Giants are prepared to reinstall him as a starter, Duggan notes. Carter returned for the Giants’ offseason program. The former third-round pick out of Georgia has 9.5 career sacks and, like Peppers, is entering a contract year. The Giants have not been especially aggressive at outside linebacker during Dave Gettleman‘s GM tenure, but they did use a second-round choice this year on USC’s Azeez Ojulari. He, 2019 third-rounder Oshane Ximines and fourth-round rookie Elerson Smith are in the mix to start opposite Carter, per Duggan. The Giants added veterans Ryan Anderson and Ifeadi Odenigbo as well, but they appear to be competing for rotational work.
- Marcus Williams is one of this year’s seven remaining franchise-tagged players. The Saints surprised most when they created cap space to tag the talented safety, but if they cannot complete an extension by July 15, they should not be expected to entertain a second tag in 2022, Joel Corry of CBS Sports writes. Marshon Lattimore playing this season on his fifth-year option would make him a higher-priority free agent come March, and whoever wins New Orleans’ quarterback job — set to be a Jameis Winston–Taysom Hill competition — could fall into the 2022 tag mix as well.
- One factor complicating the Seahawks‘ Jamal Adams talks: the Pro Bowl safety wanting not only to become the highest-paid player at the position but seeking to end up on his own financial tier. Adams does not want to be viewed as a pure safety, and thus be confined to the position’s salary range, Corry adds. Adams does not rate as a top-tier coverage safety, but he is a historically productive pass rusher for the position and is used in myriad capacities. With Seattle having traded two first-rounders for him, a deal is expected to come to fruition soon.
- The Bears made a couple of changes to their scouting staff. They promoted Jeff King to the pro scouting director post. King joined the team as a pro scout in 2016. The former NFL tight end interviewed for the Panthers’ assistant GM job in May. Chicago also promoted Sam Summerville from area scout to national scout. The Fritz Pollard Alliance named Summerville, a Bears scout since 2012, as its NFC scout of the year in 2019.
the link to the athletic article has extra words embedded. also, Ojulari went to Georgia, not USC.
Yes, Ojulari was and always will be a DGD!!! #GODAWGS
Peppers will be resigned and Logan Ryan will be cut. I like ryan but he is older and prior to last year was considered washed up. This article even said No guarantees money beyond this year for him. Great leader but Father Time always wins out. The real wildcard in this is Xavier McKinney. If he plays well they can cut Ryan and have Peppers/McKinney as a safety duo for years to come.
The thing I thought was interesting is that the article mentioned Ryan as a stand-in for Peppers. Now, they’re both safeties, but Peppers is definitely more of a strong safety than Ryan. Ryan is a great tackler, but he and Peppers play differently.
Peppers plays a lot in the box, which I would not want Ryan to do, and has limitations in coverage, where I expect Ryan to excel. Peppers’ role in the box is a direct reason (or result, perhaps) that the Giants were comfortable letting Landon Collins go, as that was his role, and they needed that player in the defense. Ryan can also easily work as a nickel or slot corner, which makes any three safety look that New York will play essentially a three corner defense as well (well, when McKinney returns). They can, if they do choose, keep their same secondary personnel out on the field no matter if the offense trots out an extra tight end or extra wide receiver, because Ryan and Peppers will both be playing, plus McKinney over the top.
In any case, having both gives New York flexibility, but Ryan and Peppers are not one for one trade offs. Peppers has improved a lot in coverage, but he’s just not a cover safety primarily right now. Ryan is not a box safety.
Seahawks lost on the Adams trade. Their DB’s suck & overpaying a name won’t improve that.
Every day I’m glad the Niners didn’t trade for Adams