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The New York Giants wouldn’t franchise tag Xavier McKinney, but they could replace him with tagged New England Patriots’ starter Kyle Dugger. He got the transition tag from the Pats, leaving Dugger fee to negotiate with other teams in 2024 NFL free agency.
Making an offer would be a smart move for the Giants, according to Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus. Spielberger views Dugger as a “chess piece who can come down and make plays in the box.”
Dugger’s downhill instincts and attacking playing style would complement Giants’ middle linebacker “Bobby Okereke being a solid coverage player and the rest of the safety room serving as more ball-hawking types.”
That’s a smart combination. Especially when the Giants have a natural ball hawk in free safety Jason Pinnock, who would also dovetail well with Dugger.
Putting a Dugger and Pinnock tandem at the heart of the secondary would provide new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen with a strong platform for building an elite unit. Provided the Giants are prepared to pay what would surely be a hefty price tag for one of the more dynamic box safeties in the league.
Kyle Dugger Worth Solid Investment from the Giants
The Patriots showed how they value Dugger by using a tag guaranteeing the defensive back $13,815,000 is he stays in New England for the ’24 season. It’s a salary commensurate with Dugger’s skills and versatility, but the Patriots don’t believe those traits would fetch two first-round draft picks.
That’s what the Pats would receive if they had applied the traditional franchise tag to Dugger. Instead, the transition tag means “the player’s initial team does not receive any form of compensation for losing its transition tag recipient,” according to the Pro Football Network’s Dallas Robinson.
Compensation, or lack thereof, will only be an issue if a team hands Dugger an offer sheet the Patriots don’t want to match. The Giants should put a dollar amount on paper for a safety who is exceptional close to the line of scrimmage.
Dugger’s particularly effective as a blitzing safety, per Next Gen Stats.
Bowen won’t send pressure as much as predecessor Don ‘Wink’ Martindale, but Dugger would quickly become a focal point of creative blitz packages for the Giants. He’d also be an asset for a run defense vulnerable enough to surrender 4.7 yards per carry last season.
Dugger has always been a force against the run, making six stuffs in 2023, per ESPN. The 6-foot-2, 222-pounder has the size and willingness to fight through traffic and get to the ball-carrier early in run plays.
That’s how he made this tackle against the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021, highlighted by Nate Tice of The Athletic.
Putting Dugger in front of Pinnock would give the Giants a second-level defender with the range to be a playmaker in all three phases of defense. Those things are worth general manager Joe Schoen putting a dent in the $41,001,620 the Giants have under the salary cap, per Spotrac.com.
Paying up for Dugger would leave Schoen open to questions about why he didn’t simply pay or tag McKinney.
Xavier McKinney Still Open to Returning to Giants
Schoen felt comfortable leaving McKinney free to test the veteran market, but the 24-year-old is still open to returning to MetLife Stadium. McKinney explained the situation to Kay Adams during an appearance on the “Up & Adams” show.
As McKinney put it, “I’ve expressed it as much as I can that I wanted to be back but ultimately it’s not all up to me.”
Time is running out for the Giants to get something done with McKinney. They have until Monday, March 11.
If Schoen and McKinney can’t agree terms, the Giants won’t find a better replacement than Dugger.
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