Ex-Browns safety Jabrill Peppers ‘not really’ excited about playing against his old team

Peppers has played well for the Giants since leaving Cleveland in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade

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Jabrill Peppers had one of the more bizarre seasons of any Cleveland Browns defensive back in his rookie campaign back in 2018. A first-round pick out of Michigan, where he played as an “edge safety” attacking in the box and blitzing frequently, Peppers was primarily deployed by then-coordinator Gregg Williams some 24 yards off the line of scrimmage. He was frequently not even visible in the wide-lens camera shots from the pre-snap formation.

The Browns dealt Peppers to the New York Giants after that season as one of the key pieces in the trade that brought wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to Cleveland. Since joining the Giants, Peppers has found a role more suitable to his skills and is one of the most important starters in New York’s defense.

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So it was a natural question for Peppers if he was circling the date for the preseason meeting between the two teams on August 22nd.

Peppers was asked if he was excited to face the team that drafted him and subsequently traded him away after his interesting rookie season.

“You know, not really,” Peppers responded, via Giants Wire. “It will just be nice to bang and compete against someone other than your own teammates. I think we have those guys and New England, so I’m going into them both the same way, gotta work on my technique, my fundamentals against other good players who are not your teammates. That’ll add to the competition aspect of it, but that’s about it.”

Nearly everything about the Browns has changed from the time when Peppers was on the team, so it makes sense that he’s not seeing the preseason game as anything special.

Odds watch: Browns open as 4.5-point favorites vs. Giants

The over/under total portends a low-scoring game

It’s not often that the Cleveland Browns are favored on the road in December, but this isn’t the Cleveland teams of old. These Browns are 9-4 and they’re expected to win in New York against the 5-8 Giants on Sunday night.

The Browns are holding as a 4.5-point favorite at BetMGM. That line is consistent across most sportsbooks as well. Based on the over/under figure of just 44.5, the bookmakers at BetMGM expect a low-scoring game.

The straight-up win would break a 35-year drought against the Giants in New York. It would also lift the Browns to a 10-win season for just the second time since 1999.

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