Pats Pulpit
In an effort to rebuild the culture at One Patriot Place, new head coach Mike Vrabel moved on from several longtime veterans and team leaders. Not among the players to get handed their walking papers either directly or indirectly was starting safety Kyle Dugger, at least initially.
Over the last week, after all, his role has started to change to a point where Dugger now spends a majority of his time with the second-string defense. While the ice under his feet seems to increasingly get thinner, another player has climbed up the depth chart to take over his former role within the safety group.
That player is rookie Craig Woodson. A fourth-round pick by the Patriots this spring, Woodson has effectively replaced Dugger with the top defense.
At first, he started getting extra reps in select three-safety packages also featuring veterans Jabrill Peppers and Jaylinn Hawkins. Coming out of the preseason opener against the Washington Commanders, however, the 24-year-old has left no doubt about his role. He is now part of the top safety mix, much to the expense of the longest-tenured player on New England’s roster.
For Woodson, his promotion also brings an increase in responsibility. Having played a multi-faceted role during his college career, he believes himself ready for whatever the coaching staff is asking him to do.
“At Cal, we kind of used to do everything,” he explained. “So, for me, whether that’s free or in the box, whatever it is, I’m just ready for the challenge. Whatever position that the coaches want to put me in, I have to be ready.”
In order to get ready, Woodson is not just relying on his own experience and his natural abilities. The 6-foot, 200-pound defender also is looking for any tips and tricks he can pick up from the Patriots’ veteran safeties, a group including Kyle Dugger.
“Those guys have been in the league for a long time,” the youngster said. “So, just learning from them, asking them questions, being able to hear how the think and process the game, it helps me as a young guy who’s trying to be in those shoes.”
Woodson’s ability to adapt to life in the NFL has led to his rise since the start of training camp. Beginning as a rotational fourth option behind the three vets higher up on the depth chart, he increased his exposure to a point where he now seems to firmly be ahead of Dugger.
He also received quality opportunities in his lone preseason game so far. While not starting the Patriots’ 48-18 win over the Washington Commanders last Friday — Dugger was still the first man up at that point — he ended up playing a fairly high number of snaps. Woodson was on the field for 30 of them (42%), registering a pair of tackles as well as a quarterback hit.
His impact on the Patriots extended beyond defense, though. Woodson also played 10 snaps in the kicking game (33%) and led with three...
