New England Patriots - NESN.com
When the New England Patriots announced their 53-man roster on Tuesday, it included Kyle Dugger among the five safeties in the defensive backfield. That Dugger remains in Foxboro is a bit of a surprise given the team’s attempt to trade the five-year veteran.
As it turns out, the Patriots had some options when it came to deciding Dugger’s fate. ESPN’s Mike Reiss, in running down the roster decisions Tuesday, dropped an interesting nugget in his report.
“(T)he Patriots on Tuesday received multiple trade offers for safety Kyle Dugger, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, but his $9.75 million guaranteed salary — and how much of that New England was willing to absorb — was a hurdle in talks with other teams,” Reiss wrote.
That Dugger’s four-year, $58 million contract is a roadblock isn’t surprising. “While Dugger thrived in New England and eventually earned a 4-year, $58M contract extension, the new staff appears to view him differently,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport posted Sunday on X. “He’s played deep into preseason games.”
As for now, Dugger remains in New England, along with safeties Jabrill Peppers, Craig Woodson, Jaylinn Hawkins and Dell Pettus.
“Dugger is another Patriot defender who was in trade rumors as cutdown day approached,” Patriots.com staff writer Evan Lazar posted Tuesday after the 53-man roster was set. “The veteran safety fell down the depth chart this summer due to changes in the scheme while working back from offseason ankle surgery. The Pats safeties will likely need to cover more ground in the backend rather than flying downhill to make plays near the line of scrimmage.
“Plus, it’s possible that the coaching staff viewed Dugger as redundant to Peppers, with both holdovers profiling as strong safeties best utilized closer to the ball,” Lazar continued. “In the preseason finale, Peppers surprisingly played 21 snaps while the Patriots rested most of their starters. The reasoning was that the staff wanted to see Peppers playing next to rookie S Craig Woodson, while Woodson has also been repping with Hawkins in recent practices.
“Based on training camp, the Pats safety trio projects to be Hawkins, Peppers, and Woodson, with Dugger being a reserve. As we wrote with (linebacker Anfernee) Jennings, it still felt premature to move on from Dugger, who is a starting-caliber safety when he’s right,” Lazar concluded.
The 29-year-old has plenty of support from within. “That’s my dog … It’s his process. He’s coming back from that ankle injury. He’s going to do what he has to do. I’m not worried about Dugg,” Peppers said last week, according to ABC6’s Ian Steele.
Dugger, a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, has nine career interceptions, including a pair of pick-6s. He had a career-high 109 tackles in 2023, when he started all 17 regular-season games.
