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If you want to know how shopping Kyle Dugger is going for the New England Patriots, you need only read the tea leaves.
Dugger, 29, reportedly has struggled throughout the summer as he learns a new system under head coach Mike Vrabel and recovers from offseason ankle surgery. The veteran safety played deep into the final two preseason games — never a good sign for a player on a roster bubble — and seemingly projects as a backup if he survives roster-cutdown day.
So, it’s not surprising that Dugger has popped up in multiple trade rumors over the last few weeks. And the latest report, authored by NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport on Sunday, might tell you all you need to know about the situation.
“The Patriots are shopping safety Kyle Dugger, sources say, their starter the last five seasons,” Rapoport wrote on X. “While Dugger thrived in New England and eventually earned a 4-year, $58M contract extension, the new staff appears to view him differently. He’s played deep into preseason games.”
In a follow-up post, Rapoport added: “Dugger has been taking second-team reps in camp after a long recovery for tight-rope surgery on a high-ankle sprain. Fully healthy now, Dugger looked like himself in their last preseason game.”
Let’s focus on the follow-up.
Rapoport’s update arrived four days after the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan reported that Dugger and linebacker Anfernee Jennings were available in trades. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported something similar the same day.
“Patriots safety Kyle Dugger and outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings are known to be available for trade with less than a week left until the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline, according to league sources,” Callahan wrote for the Herald last Wednesday. “The Patriots recently raised Dugger’s name in talks with at least one team, while the front office has long been willing to take offers on him and Jennings, sources said.”
So, why would Rapoport report something already widely known? After all, his update added nothing to what was reported by Callahan, who’s among the more well-sourced reporters covering the Patriots.
This is just speculation, but there’s a good chance that members of the Patriots front office provided the information to Rapoport. And their motivation for doing so could’ve been tied to league interest in Dugger — or lack thereof.
Callahan’s mind went to a similar place. The Patriots insider reacted to Rapoport’s update by reposting his original report, prompting a reply from an X user who wrote, “So they aren’t getting good offers and decide now to use (Rapoport) to drum up business?”
Callahan replied: “Bingo. Dugger talks have not been going great, since he’s been available for a while and is still on the team. The follow-up tweet about looking like himself in Thursday’s preseason finale — after which Dugger admitted he’s not yet — is the real tell.”
That brings us to Monday morning, when MassLive’s Mark Daniels offered another update.
“Speaking with multiple industry sources, who spoke to MassLive on the condition of...
