Insider Floats Patriots Defender as Potential Trade Candidate

It looks like there could be a veteran New England Patriots defender on the chopping block heading into the next NFL season, in the eyes of one notable team insider.

Following the events of Monday's training camp practice, Greg Bedard of The Boston Sports Journal hinted toward the idea that safety Kyle Dugger may be on the verge of hitting the trade block, or possibly being released ahead of next season.

"I don’t know if this in fact true, but at least, this is what it looked like on the practice field: It sure seemed like Kyle Dugger saw his first-team reps take a downturn in favor of rookie Craig Woodson,” Bedard said. “I did my 53-man roster [Monday], and one of the things I discussed was Kyle Dugger could very well be on the trade or release block. That’s what it seems like."

Is Kyle Dugger’s time with Patriots coming to an end soon?

“It sure seemed like Kyle Dugger saw his 1st team reps take a down turn in favor of Rookie Craig Woodson…Dugger could very well be on trade or release block” -@GregABedard

📺 Full Recap: https://t.co/p7loQJ6DAS pic.twitter.com/TbXV0osdji
— Patriots on CLNS (@PatriotsCLNS) August 4, 2025

Dugger has been a long-standing fixture within the Patriots' secondary for the past five years since being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but comes off an up-and-down, injury-riddled season in 2024 in which he played in just 13 games.

Now, it seems the 29-year-old may end up as an eye-catching candidate hovering around on the roster bubble.

Dugger still stands on the second year of his four-year deal signed in 2024, and will be owed $9.75 million in guaranteed money for the 2025 season, so that makes his immediate release harder to picture. However, for 2026 and 2027, he'll have no more guarantees on the books –– perhaps setting the sights forward towards next season for a potential release.

In the event Dugger were to be cut before the season, the Patriots would take around a $13.25 million cap hit on the books, while a trade would lead to $6 million in cap savings.

Jun 10, 2024; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots safety Kyle Dugger (23) walks to the practice fields for minicamp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

During his last season in the fold, Dugger had 81 combined tackles, eight TFLs, and four passes defended when he was on the field, also logging a sack and a forced fumble in the process.

As fourth-round rookie Craig Woodson has begun to see his responsibility increase throughout camp, paired with the regime change of Mike Vrabel taking the reins of this defense, keep a keen eye on Dugger when roster cutdown day hits later this month.

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