Getty Kyle Dugger of the Patriots would bolster the Packers defense
Turns out, there was another side of the coin when Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield racked up 381 yards of passing and four touchdowns in Week 15: The Packers defense did not cover anyone in that game. At Pro Football Focus, the Packers defense got a coverage grade of 30.7, by far its worst of the season (the previous low was 51.3 in Week 11 against the Chargers). Maybe Mayfield was on point with his throws, but the Packers made it easy for him.
Maybe that should not be a surprise. Despite the blame heaped on Joe Barry each week—much of it warranted—the fact is that injuries, youth and the trade of the Packers’ top cover man, Rasul Douglas, have played a major role in the exposing of the secondary.
It doesn’t help that the Packers DBs are not much help in run-game support either. The Packers rank just 19th in PFFs run-defense grading system and among the defensive backs, only safety Darnell Savage (73.5) rates above a 62.0 in run-support grading.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report suggests that one of the Packers’ top targets in the offseason should be in the defensive backfield: Patriots safety Kyle Dugger.
Kyle Dugger Was an Unknown in 2020 Draft
The Patriots traded out of the first round of the NFL draft in 2020, and used their top pick in the second round to take a name few had actually heard before: Kyle Dugger. At the time, he was a sixth-year college senior from Div. II Lenoir-Rhyne, and there was ample outrage in New England over the pick. But over time, Dugger has developed into a reliable pro and one of the league’s best safeties.
He is a hard hitter who is so-so in coverage but excellent in run support.
Here’s how Bleacher Report sees him fitting with the Packers defense:
“Green Bay is going to be in the safety market this offseason, as they have several impending free agents at the position, including key contributors like Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford and Jonathan Owens. While replacing three players with one is impossible, Kyle Dugger’s versatility is a big reason why he’d be a great fit with the Packers.
“The team is going to have a few holes to fill in the secondary, and the four-year veteran has recorded a significant amount of snaps in the box, as a deep safety and over the slot this season.”
Plenty of 2024 Questions for Packers Defense
The Packers defense will have ample questions to answer in this offseason, starting with the fate of Barry as the coordinator. But addressing the secondary will have to rank high on the list.
Certainly, there is some hope that Jaire Alexander, who struggled with injuries much of the year, will get healthy and return to form. The same goes for 2021 first-rounder Eric Stokes, who has played just 30 snaps this season. Rookie corner Carrington Valentine, a seventh-round pick, has some promise, too, but has been inconsistent in his opportunities.
Those are all corners, though. At safety, the Packers’ cupboard is fairly bare. Savage was a first-rounder in 2021 and is likely to stick around in the Packers defense. Beyond that, free agents Ford and Owens could easily move on elsewhere, leaving the Packers to fill the position with draft picks and free agents.
Dugger would be a good one, and not terribly expensive. The SB Nation blog Pats Pulpit projected a “blueprint” for a Dugger contract in free agency to look like the three-year, $36 million contract the Grant Delpit signed with the Browns this month.
The Packers are not flush with cash this offseason, but they could afford that. And given the state of the secondary, perhaps they should.
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Packers Urged to Sign Projected $36 Million Patriots Safety