This is a story less about the Cincinnati Bengals' inability or unwillingness to acquire talent and more about the Pittsburgh Steelers potentially swinging the AFC North with a huge player acquisition.
After all, the Bengals deserve credit for signing the likes of Dalton Risner, Mike Pennel, and even Isaiah Foskey as of today. Unfortunately, Foskey wasn't quite the caliber of player who'll whip Who Dey Nation into a frenzy as far as the immediate impact he can have.
When it comes to what the Steelers just did, well, it's certainly an attention-grabber that puts the rest of the division on notice.
Potential Bengals target Jabrill Peppers signs with Steelers
Although there weren't any direct reports linking shockingly released New England Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers to Cincinnati, he seemed like an ideal fit to me. Granted, I thought this before the Bengals proceeded to stymie the Browns in Week 1's huge 17-16 victory.
Injuries are a grim reality of NFL life and create a need more urgent for some teams than others. That's what happened in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers signed Peppers in the wake of news that starting safety DeShon Elliott is dealing with a sprained MCL, per Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz.
Whether Elliott returns on Schultz's expected timeline for Week 4's matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, the Steelers can still deploy Peppers in a variety of ways. Look no further than all the spots Peppers lined up at for New England.
Jabrill Peppers snaps splits since 2023 (via @PFF):
— Matt Fitzgerald (@MattFitz_gerald) August 29, 2025
FS - 562 snaps
Box safety - 413 snaps
Slot CB - 183 snaps
Boundary CB - 92 snaps
Defensive line - 77 snaps
GET HIM! 😄
Bengals should be this stud safety's next team after surprise Patriots release https://t.co/sLfVJRroSg
Peppers is the type of human Swiss Army Knife defender who can fit in with any scheme and any team. That's why it was such a mysterious stunner when the Pats cut him loose.
The Steelers let Justin Fields and the New York Jets offense march up and down the field on them all afternoon this past Sunday. Good thing Aaron Rodgers was out for vengeance against the team that cast him off this offseason, throwing four touchdown passes in Pittsburgh's 34-32 win.
Mike Tomlin's teams are typically so sound on defense. Most NFL fans know by now that overreacting to Week 1 is a fool's errand. Still, it's notable that the Steelers sought out easily the most notable defender on the open market in the hopes of making a serious upgrade to their secondary.
Regardless of Elliott's injury situation, Peppers is a dynamic standalone signing in his own right. He'll have plenty of time to settle in with his new team before facing the Bengals in Cincinnati for Week 7's edition of Thursday Night Football.
Forgive me for bringing this up, but the last time Peppers played at Paycor Stadium, he was part of a scrappy Patriots outfit that all but shut down Joe Burrow and the Bengals' high-powered offense. The end result was a 16-10 Cincinnati loss that ultimately cost that 2024 team a shot at the playoffs.
Again, not to make too much of this on the Bengals' end, or imply that missing out on Peppers was some organizational failure. It's just a bummer that Peppers joined forces with a formidable rival who'll present a big challenge in two different games this season.