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New England Patriots safety Kyle Dugger is reportedly on the trade block. After his slide down the depth chart this preseason, franchise shopping Dugger before roster cutdown day on Tuesday, per NFL Network.
The search for a trade partner comes just one year into a sizable contract extension Dugger signed with the Patriots last offseason. He has three years remaining on the four-year, $58 million deal, which he earned after he cemented himself as a regular in the New England starting lineup over five seasons. He started seven of his fourteen games as a rookie in 2020 and was on the top line of the depth chart ever since.
Recovery from offseason ankle surgery led Dugger to fall out of position for a starting job in 2025. Coach Mike Vrabel confirmed this month that the veteran safety had been relegated to second-team reps. Jabrill Peppers is in line to start at one of the safety spots while Jaylinn Hawkins and fourth-round rookie Craig Woodson compete with Dugger for the other job.
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Brad Crawford
“Just making sure that he’s where he needs to be and understanding the coverage concepts and everything we do,” Vrabel said this month of Dugger’s demotion. “Keep working and keep progressing. A lot of this is that guys have earned the right to take a look with that first unit and, again, there will be different lineups and different things. Just focus on the reps that you get right now.”
Dugger racked up 81 tackles and a sack last year and likely would have contended for a career year if not for the ankle issue that sidelined him for four games. He set a personal best with 109 stops the season prior. Last year was also his first since his rookie campaign that he did not haul in an interception.
“[Kyle’s] had a long recovery in the offseason,” Vrabel said. “He’s been out there, and he’s continued to get better and work, and I think the more that he practices, the better he’s going to feel and the more that it’s going to translate onto the football field.”
The Patriots have until Aug. 27 to trim their roster to 53 players, and while they are in the market to ship Dugger off to another team, cutting him would come with a sizable price tag. New England would be on the hook for $23.5 million in dead money. Dugger is the second-highest paid player on the Patriots’ roster, and he signed his deal under the previous staff.