Bill Belichick surprised Patriots safety Jabrill Peppers this week.

The veteran defender was one of the teacher’s pets during film study after the Patriots’ Week 6 loss to the Raiders. Belichick gave Peppers special praise for a jarring hit he delivered on Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams over the middle of the field that caused an interception by linebacker Jahlani Tavai.

“He definitely serves a lot of slices of humble pie,” Peppers said of Belichick. “That play, he’s real big on the fundamentals. The break, the plant point, accelerate, no wasted movement, no rounded breaks, got my head out of there, wrapped up. It was shocking to get a little praise from him, but definitely that film room, you’re going to be humbled in there.”

Peppers avoided penalty for the hit, and he’s certainly hoping it didn’t trigger any fines for the league.

“I’m the poster boy,” Peppers said. “They keep throwing these fines at me. Trying to navigate it.”

• The Patriots released core special teamer Ameer Speed, who had appeared in five games this season. The sixth-round pick registered three tackles, while playing 73 snaps on special teams (43%) and 10 on defense (2%).

This could wind up being a one-for-one swap, as Cody Davis returned to practice on Oct. 4 and New England’s 21-day window to activate him from the PUP list is winding down. The veteran has been at every practice since and is coming off an ACL tear.

Speed could end up back on the practice squad if he goes unclaimed. Speed spent five years at Georgia, playing more snaps on special teams than defense, before transferring to Michigan State for his final year of eligibility in 2022.

“He’s a developmental player,” Coach Bill Belichick said in August. “He’s big, he’s long, he’s fast, and so we’ll see how that comes along. He was a one-year starter there at Michigan State, but has played in the kicking game. So, development, you know? He’s coming along.”

• The Patriots removed Rhamondre Stevenson from Thursday’s injury report, but still have 20 players listed with rookie wide receiver Kayshon Boutte added with a hamstring injury that left him limited in practice.

New England remains banged up ahead of its Week 7 game against the Buffalo Bills.

Trent Brown (chest), Hunter Henry (ankle), Jonathan Jones (ankle), Riley Reiff (knee), Josh Uche (knee) and Keion White (concussion) didn’t practice for a second straight day. Henry and Jones were spotted at the media portion of Thursday’s practice, but were listed as DNP. Brown was upgraded to limited.

RAIDERS: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will not play Sunday because of a back injury when Las Vegas visits the Chicago Bears, a person with knowledge of the situation said Thursday.

Either 15-year veteran Brian Hoyer or rookie Aidan O’Connell will start for Las Vegas. Hoyer played the second half of Sunday’s 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots when Garoppolo was injured. O’Connell, however, started and played the entire game when the Raiders lost at the Los Angeles Chargers 24-17 on Oct. 1.

Coach Josh McDaniels told reporters on Wednesday that the week of practice would determine the starter should Garoppolo not play.

“There are a few balls in the air right now that we’re going to have to sort through,” McDaniels said.

49ERS: Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams all missed practice on Thursday and their status for this week’s game against Minnesota is in doubt.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said all three players are day to day after getting hurt in last week’s loss at Cleveland. San Francisco (5-1) visits Minnesota on Monday night and will have two more practice days this week before the game.

Samuel injured his shoulder in the first snap of the game and played only nine snaps in the game. Williams sprained his ankle in the first half and returned after missing two plays but was hindered the rest of the way. McCaffrey hurt his oblique in the first half and was unable to finish the game.

BROWNS: Deshaun Watson was limited in practice Thursday, and in this case that was a positive development as the Cleveland quarterback tested his injured right shoulder by throwing passes in his first practice in nearly three weeks, moving him closer to possibly starting this week against Indianapolis after missing two games.

Watson has been sidelined with a strained rotator cuff, an injury that has prevented him from throwing with much velocity.

The three-time Pro Bowler couldn’t put any timetable on his return Wednesday, but Watson was back on the field with his teammates for the first time since Sept. 29 as the Browns (3-2) continued to get ready for the Colts (3-3).

CHIEFS: Wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who was traded from the New York Jets back to the Kansas City Chiefs this week, said Thursday that he spent part of last season in the hospital after an abdominal injury caused him to lose feeling in his legs.

The injury occurred during a game against Tennessee in early November, Hardman said. He finished the game, and it was the following day that he began feeling cramps in his abdomen. The pain was getting worse by the hour, and after Hardman phoned Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder, he was taken to the emergency room and admitted to the hospital.

He lost feeling in his legs for “four or five days,” Hardman said, and was hospitalized two more days after getting it back, before he was finally discharged. Hardman missed the final nine games of the regular season and the Chiefs’ postseason win over Jacksonville, then hurt his groin in the AFC title game against Cincinnati, forcing him to miss their Super Bowl win over Philadelphia.

PANTHERS: Third-year wide receiver Terrace Marshall has received permission to seek a trade, according to multiple reports.

Carolina (0-6) discussed the possibility with Marshall’s agent, who told the team Marshall is looking for a more prominent role in the offense, and that Marshall will be welcomed back to the team if no trade is made.