There’s no guarantee New England Patriots returning starter Kyle Dugger will trot out with the first-teamer to begin the season. Mike Vrabel confirmed Wednesday that the veteran safety has been relegated to reps with the 2s while recovering from offseason ankle surgery that perhaps has stunted his development against others vying for snaps.
Dugger signed a mega four-year, $58 million extension with the franchise last spring and has been a starter for the Patriots since the 2020 season.
“Just making sure that he’s where he needs to be and understanding the coverage concepts and everything we do,” Vrabel said about Dugger’s demotion, via Boston.com. “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.”
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Jabrill Peppers holds one of the starting spots while Jaylinn Hawkins has outshined Dugger during camp with the first team. Fourth-round pick Craig Woodson out of Cal is also in the mix with Hawkins and Dugger.
“(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.”
Dugger finished the 2024 regular season with 81 tackles (55 solo) and one sack in 13 games. After logging a career-high 109 tackles in 2023, the former second-round selection missed four games last fall with the ankle situation.
New England’s next steps
With a first-year coaching staff, a personnel depth chart move like this is not necessarily a surprise in the NFL. That said, Vrabel’s decision does show how the Patriots view Dugger at this critical preseason junction.
Rosters are cut to 53 on Aug. 27 before the start of the regular season and New England must decide where Dugger fits as a depth option, penciled in starter or potentially, a tradable asset. If the Patriots decide to cut Dugger, the team must account for the dead money on his contract for salary cap purposes.
Dugger is New England’s second-highest-paid player and finding a suitor to take the rest of his sizable contract may prove difficult. Dugger’s contract agreement with the Patriots was signed before the arrival of Vrabel, along with front office executives John Streicher and Ryan Cowden.
This news was originally published on this post .
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