Giants' Jabrill Peppers Not Expected to Miss Rest of Year with Spinal Injury

The New York Giants announced Monday that defensive back Jabrill Peppers suffered a transverse process fracture in Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears.

Head coach Pat Shurmur told reporters he doesn't expect this to end Peppers' season. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the back injury could keep him out for one to three weeks.

The safety had played nearly every snap this season for the Giants and added some kick and punt return work Sunday before leaving with the injury.

Peppers filled a wide variety of roles at Michigan, including contributions on offense, defense and special teams, to solidify himself as one of the most dynamic playmakers in the 2017 NFL draft. The Cleveland Browns invested the 25th overall pick on him based on that all-around skill set.

The 24-year-old New Jersey native made a modest impact across two years in Cleveland before joining the Giants in March as part of the blockbuster Odell Beckham Jr. trade.

Peppers, who won the 2016 Paul Hornung Award, remained mostly durable during his last two seasons with the Wolverines despite the heavy workload, appearing in 24 of 26 games.

He missed time with toe and knee ailments during his rookie NFL season, but he played all 16 games last year.

Since Peppers doesn't play a traditional role, the Giants will have to get a little creative to fill the void. Michael Thomas and Julian Love are among the defensive backs who could see more playing time in certain packages.

Peppers has the talent to develop into a valuable contributor, but last year showed there's still a learning curve in Year 3. Staying healthy to get as many reps as possible is key to his development.