The New England Patriots’ starters on both sides of the ball are not expected to see many, if any, snaps on Thursday night against the New York Giants. The preseason finale will instead be an opportunity for the depth and roster bubble options to showcase themselves in a game setting for one final time before roster cutdowns next week.
Starting safety Jabrill Peppers is among those who will have a quiet night in East Rutherford; he is not considered likely to see the field after already sitting out
last week’s preseason bout with the Minnesota Vikings. Nonetheless, he is well aware of the importance the game will have on a large portion of what is currently a 91-man roster.
Peppers, therefore, has a message to his teammates ahead of the final exhibition contest.
“Be where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there,” the 29-year-old said in a media session earlier this week. “Do your job the way you’re supposed to do it every time you have to do it. The game plans will be pretty simple and vanilla, so there shouldn’t be too many missed assignments or mental errors.”
A first-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2017, Peppers has never realistically been on the roster bubble in his career. This year will be more of the same: he is the Patriots’ No. 1 safety, a candidate to be voted captain yet again, and in line to play a major role in New England’s secondary.
Accordingly, his focus is on what lies farther ahead rather than on the Giants. Nonetheless, he is mindful of the fact that that is not the case for most of the team, and that Thursday will be more than just a last opportunity for a push toward the Patriots’ 53-man roster.
“Just remember, the tape goes out to all 31 teams,” he said. “It’s no secret we can’t keep everybody, but how you represent yourself on that field is going to be the key to your destination.”
