The New England Patriots pulled a surprise out of their hat on Friday, releasing safety Jabrill Peppers after three seasons. Seemingly locked into a starting spot all summer and a member of the team’s initial 53-man roster, the 29-year-old now finds himself cut for the first time in his nine-year NFL career.

Given Peppers’ history with the team and seemingly high value to the operation, the move is a big one for the Patriots. Let’s zoom out a bit and see what it means from a big-picture perspective.

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With Peppers no longer part of the equation, the Patriots’ safety group is down to five players. The top options among them project to be Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson, who both climbed up the depth chart over the course of the summer.

Hawkins originally joined the team last

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