Patriots 90-Man Roster Spotlight: Kyle Dugger, Safety Valve

The New England Patriots can have up to 90 players under contract during the offseason. Patriots Football Now will spotlight each Patriots player until the regular season begins. Today’s featured player is safety Kyle Dugger.

Kyle Dugger

The New England Patriots selected Dugger in the second round (No. 37 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. He played collegiately for the Lenoir-Rhyne Bears. Dugger won the 2019 Cliff Harris Award, given to the Small College Defense Player of the Year. Despite being 24 when he was drafted and playing Division 2 football in college, Dugger caught the attention of NFL scouts with his production and measurables. He stood 6-foot-1, weighed 217 pounds, and ran a 4.49 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Dugger was a reserve safety for much of the 2020 season. The rookie backed up Devin McCourty and Adrian Phillips at safety. He played 50.9% of defensive snaps and 45.8% of special teams snaps. He finished the season with 64 tackles (43 solo). Dugger used it as a springboard to bigger and better production in the years ahead.

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Dugger became a full-time starter in his second season. He appeared in 15 games and helped the Patriots get back to the postseason. Dugger dwarfed his rookie totals across the board. He recorded 92 tackles (70 solo), five tackles for a loss, and four interceptions.

Despite a drop in total tackles in 2022, it was another productive season for the safety. He recorded 72 tackles (50 solo). Dugger was able to do something the Patriots’ offense struggled to do: score. He returned two of his four interceptions for touchdowns. He added a fumble recovery touchdown. Dugger recorded his first career sack as well.

.@Patriots take the lead on a pick-6!

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— NFL (@NFL) January 1, 2023

Kyle Dugger played all 17 games in 2023 and achieved personal bests in several categories. He set career-highs in tackles (109), solo tackles (71), tackles for a loss (6), quarterback pressures (15), and sacks (1.5). He added seven passes defended, two interceptions, and a forced fumble.

Pro Football Focus gave Dugger a 61.7 defensive grade for his 2023 performance. It marked the lowest grade of his four-year career. Dugger received a 78.4 in 2022. The biggest cause for the drop was his coverage grade, which fell from 78.3 to 50.0.

Contract Status

Kyle Dugger signed a four-year contract with the New England Patriots this offseason. His deal is for a base-value of $58 million, maximum value of $66 million, and $32.5 million in guaranteed money.

Eliot Wolf stated part of his philosophy running the New England Patriots front office was to draft, develop, and extend core players. He identified his starting safeties as core players this offseason. In addition to Dugger’s four-year deal, his partner in the defensive backfield, Jabrill Peppers, signed a three-year extension. The pair are two of five Patriots veterans signed through 2027. They are joined by Christian Barmore, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Jahlani Tavai. It is a safe assumption that Wolf views all six as core players for the Patriots.

Last season, Dugger played a team-high 1,236 snaps. The addition of secondary depth should bring that number down a bit, but expect Dugger and Peppers to spend the majority of defensive snaps on the field.

Kyle Dugger proved across his first four seasons with the New England Patriots that he is a very good NFL player. He’s dependable and productive. The next question to be answered is whether Dugger can take that next step to become truly elite among his positional peers. If the best parts of his recent seasons are combined, with his stellar tackling from 2023 and his coverage and big playmaking from 2022, Dugger heading to his first Pro Bowl in 2024 is a distinct possibility. The Patriots showed this offseason they believe Dugger is capable of that and perhaps even more.