The Patriots on Friday surprisingly released veteran S Jabrill Peppers, despite having $4.32 million guaranteed left on his contract for 2025. Peppers had recently appeared to slip down the depth chart and then played deep into the team's final preseason game. The team now looks poised to run Jaylinn Hawkins and rookie Craig Woodson as the safety starters, with Kyle Dugger and Dell Pettus backing them up.