Top NFL Insider Names Patriots Defender As Top Trade Candidate

Trade rumors swirled around Kyle Dugger throughout the offseason, and they’re cropping up again ahead of the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline.

New England kept Dugger on its 53-man roster despite reportedly shopping him during training camp. The 29-year-old safety has two more years left on his contract but isn’t guaranteed any money beyond this season, potentially setting the stage for an offseason release.

Nevertheless, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently reported that Dugger still could be traded.

The belief in league circles is that Dugger would have been dealt before Week 1 but for his cost-prohibitive $9.75 million salary,” Fowler wrote in a piece published Wednesday. “There was interest then and could be again. Now that New England is sitting at 5-2, perhaps it will revisit a potential deal.

“However, Dugger has played a combined 102 defensive snaps over the past two weeks due to an injury to starter Jaylinn Hawkins, which might change things. Dugger would be a quality third-safety insurance for a team in contention.”

As Fowler noted, the Patriots might no longer be in a position to trade Dugger, as they’d be making themselves even thinner at one of their weakest positions. Moreover, while Dugger no longer resembles the player he was in his prime, he’s improved throughout this season and appears fully recovered from the ankle injury that led to his on-field decline in 2024.

A second-round pick in 2020, Dugger is the Patriots’ longest-tenured player and carried their third-highest salary behind Mike Onwenu and Christian Barmore.