Sportsnaut
This offseason has seen the Patriots undergo big changes on both sides of the ball and within the coaching staff. Franchise legend Mike Vrabel is now the head coach, and the team brought in veterans like Stefon Diggs, Carlton Davis II, and Milton Williams to improve the roster.
The team has already gone through two weeks of training camp, and the first preseason game is just days away. Naturally, some unexpected names have stood out so far, including rookie defensive back Craig Woodson. Woodson was a fourth-round pick out of California in the 2025 draft and could be playing his way into a role already.
With Jabrill Peppers and Kyle Dugger already in place as the starting safeties, though, what could the emergence of Woodson mean? Well, Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal believes Dugger could end on the trade block ahead of Week 1.
“I don’t know if this in fact true, but at least, this is what it looked like on the practice field: It sure seemed like Kyle Dugger saw his first-team reps take a downturn in favor of rookie Craig Woodson,” Bedard said in a video report. “I did my 53-man roster (Monday), and one of the things I discussed was Kyle Dugger could very well be on the trade or release block. That’s what it seems like.”
As Bedard mentioned, Dugger has seen fewer first-team snaps lately due to Woodson’s impressive play. Dugger is under contract for three more seasons after signing a four-year extension last offseason, so there’s no rush to trade the veteran. However, Dugger may not be happy with being forced into a smaller role due to the talented rookie.
There would surely be plenty of interest in Dugger if he is made available due to his impressive play in the past. 2025 wasn’t Dugger’s best season, however. The defender played in 13 games last season and collected 81 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and four pass deflections. Pro Football Focus was not a fan of the safety’s play, giving Dugger a poor 44.3 overall grade, which ranked 157th out of 171 qualified safeties.
The Patriots’ defense as a hole struggled in 2024, though, and it could be better simply due to the presence of Vrabel. Although, it’s also possible Vrabel prefers Woodson do to being involved in the drafting of the rookie.
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