Getty Bill Belichick, Patriots coach, has spoken highly of Kyle Dugger
It’s hard to glean positives from a 3-11 season, but certainly, the Patriots defense has been one of them, even in the face of repeated ineptitude on the other side of the ball. We’ve seen the way that Bill Belichick builds his roster, investing heavily in defense and treating the offense as an afterthought. If he returns to New England, there’s little to suggest that he will approach things any different in the future. That could be good news for defensive back Kyle Dugger, one of several high-profile Patriots free agents.
Dugger will be ready to truly cash in on his long and strange path to the NFL this winter. The Patriots have about $75 million in cap space for 2024 (third in the NFL), according to Spotrac, and would be able to keep Dugger around if they so chose.
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.
But if the Patriots falter, there would be other teams ready to pounce. Bleacher Report named one this week: the Green Bay Packers.
Kyle Dugger a ‘Great Fit’ in Green Bay?
Yes, beware the Packers on Dugger’s next move, as Bleacher Report sees it. Green Bay’s defense needs help and the thin secondary could find some among the long list of Patriots free agents. Dugger is a big and versatile safety who is excellent in run-support. He makes the most sense as a Packers target.
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.”
Patriots’ Bill Belichick Took a 2020 Chance
Again, if Belichick sticks around in the offseason, it’s a fair bet that Dugger stays in New England, perhaps with a franchise tag. Many lambasted Belichick for the Dugger pick.
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. But over time, Dugger has developed into a reliable pro and one of the league’s best safeties.
Pro Football Focus has Dugger rated No. 20 on its list of Top 50 2024 free agents.
“Kyle Dugger is the mold of the safety/linebacker hybrid that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has fallen in love with as more teams shift to dime packages and big dime looks with three safeties,” the site wrote. “Dugger fits in the run game as well as any defensive back in football, and he’s not a liability in coverage, particularly against bigger slot receivers and tight ends.”
He is one of the Patriots free agents to whom Belichick will attach high priority.