Pats Pulpit
With one week to go until the NFL trade deadline, the New England Patriots already made their first moves. On Tuesday, the team of head coach Mike Vrabel shipped defensive end Keion White to the San Francisco 49ers and followed it up by sending safety Kyle Dugger to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The trades are following the same structure and background. In both cases, the team has parted ways with a former starter no longer a scheme fit under Vrabel; in both cases, a sixth-round draft pick in 2026 was gained in return for player plus seventh-rounder.
Besides upgrading their draft portfolio next spring, though, here is what the two trades mean for the Patriots.
Promise unfulfilled: In his first ever game with the Patriots, back as a second-round rookie in 2023, White saw reps against Philadelphia Eagles tackle Lane Johnson and managed to give the All-Pro some problems in pass protection. It was a sign of the immense disruptive talent White brought to the table coming out of Georgia Tech, and how the team found a way to create favorable matchups for him. But while he remained on a mostly upward trajectory through his first two seasons, he failed to build on his momentum in 2025 and ultimately is leaving New England as a “what could have been” type of player.
Writing on the wall, Pt. 1: White getting traded is not the surprise it might have been just a few months ago. Despite his potential, he never seemed to quite fit what the new-look coaching staff under Mike Vrabel was looking for: he was converted from a hybrid interior player to more of a traditional edge, but the move forced him to reinvent himself — a process that did not go as smoothly as either party had hoped. As a result, White first lost his starting job and ultimately his spot on the roster.
Depth impact: Even though he was no longer a starter and had been made a healthy scratch for the Patriots’ game against the Cleveland Browns over the weekend, White still brought (theoretical) depth to the team’s edge. With him gone, that depth behind starters Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson is being tested. Anfernee Jennings and undrafted rookie Elijah Ponder project as the next men up, with recent waiver claim Caleb Murphy also part of the mix. Fifth-round draft pick Bradyn Swinson provides an extra body on the practice squad, but it is clear that a lot is being asked of Landry and Chaisson given the current composition of the group.
First shoe to drop? With the Patriots’ edge depth a question mark beyond Landry and Chaisson, they might be looking at the trade market yet again. The team has been eying a veteran addition for a while now, and it would not be a surprise if something materialized over the course of the next week: New England has the means and the willingness to bring players in. Who may...
