New Bengals Safety Returns to Cincinnati After Six Weeks Away with Family

On a day when the Cincinnati Bengals renegotiated quarterback Joe Burrow’s contract and signed top rookie pick Cashius Howell to complete the 2026 draft class, another significant move flew somewhat under the radar.

Kyle Dugger was back in town.

The Bengals signed Dugger to a one-year, $1.4 million free agent deal on April 2. Dugger attended the initial voluntary phase of the offseason a couple of weeks later to get familiar with his new surroundings and teammates.

But the veteran safety hadn’t been at Paycor Stadium until Tuesday, opting to spend the majority of the voluntary portion of the offseason with his pregnant wife.

New Bengals Safety Dugger Misses Time Due to Birth of Daughter

“I missed quite a bit of time being back home with my family and had a beautiful baby girl born,” Dugger said. “I've got a lot of catching up to do and a lot of things to make sure I'm locked in.”

While many players have one position to focus on, Dugger has more on his plate. In addition to safety, he could be used as the nickel corner at times or an outside linebacker or matchup on a tight end if the opponent gets into 12 or 13 personnel.

he Bengals coaches stayed in contact with Dugger to offer whatever help they could as he tried to get acclimated to the playbook the last several weeks from 900 miles away in Massachusetts.

“I didn't really have any expectations, but I'm glad they were able to communicate with me and allow me to have that time with my family,” he said. “That was a very, very big deal to me. So I'm thankful for it.”

Dugger missed the birth of his son, now 4, due to having COVID. But he was able to be present for the birth of his daughter on May 30.

In addition to acclimating to a new baby, he is getting used to a new defense as well. But as is the case in raising children and common experiences, the Cincinnati defense isn’t completely foreign to Dugger.

He said there is a lot of carryover from the defenses he played on in New England and Pittsburgh to defensive coordinator Al Golden’s scheme in Cincinnati.

“With a lot of the things they do here, I just felt like it was a good place,” Dugger said. “I came into the locker room and looked around and knew some of them. We had a meeting, and I knew it was a really good group based on the questions they were asking. I knew that these guys were ready to win, they want to win and they knew what it takes to win.”

Dugger played with Cincinnati center Ted Karras as members of the Patriots in 2021, going 10-7 and making the playoffs. Last year, he helped the Steelers go 10-7 and win the AFC North.

In the process, he victimized the Bengals by snaring the fourth Pick 6 of his career, a 73-yarder against Joe Flacco in Pittsburgh’s 34-12 win at Acrisure Stadium.

Dugger has three interception returns for a touchdown since 2022, tied for the third most in the league in that span.

Because he and Flacco haven’t been around much this spring, they haven’t been in the building at the same time (Flacco was not present at Tuesday’s practice).

Even when they do connect, Dugger said he’ll wait a bit before bringing up the Pick 6.

“I'm gonna focus on learning what I gotta learn for now, and we'll get to that later,” he said.

But Dugger willingly got into the play with reporters after practice Tuesday.

The Steelers were leading 13-9 in the final minute of the third quarter, but the Bengals were driving in Pittsburgh territory. On third and 9 at the 35-yard line, Flacco dropped back to pass and thought Dugger was coming on a blitz.

He tried to hit Tee Higgins crossing behind Dugger, but the safety snatched the ball and took off the other way, and the Steelers dominated the fourth quarter for a cushy win.

“It ended up playing like a robber because we had that in the playbook, and I had an opportunity to read the quarterback,” he said. “My man stayed in the backfield and was blocking, so I had the opportunity to do that.”

It was the second huge play Dugger made against the Bengals in as many years.

In the 2024 season opener at Paycor, Dugger was credited with the forced fumble at the goal line against Cincinnati tight end Tanner Hudson. The Patriots won that game 16-10, but they might not have without that play.

On Tuesday, Dugger nearly picked off a pass by Josh Johnson. And when he wasn’t covering routes, he was in the ear of safeties coach Jordan Kovacs, trying to make up for lost time.

“The more details, the better, the faster I can play,” Dugger said. “I was just kind of eliminating the questions, eliminating the hesitations. Just asking questions that come up and trying to be able to a fast speed.

“It’s a new opportunity, and I’ve got to take it as that,” Dugger said. “These opportunities don’t come often to everybody. It could be a short career for some guys. So I’m thankful to be here and have a new opportunity to start fresh.”

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon. Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more! We're a one-stop shop for all things Cincinnati Bengals! Join the 65,000+ Bengals fans who subscribe to us on YouTube.

Add us as a preferred source on Google