One ESPN analyst believes it’d make sense for the Patriots to move Kyle Dugger at the trade deadline.
Senior NFL writer Bill Barnwell proposed 13 deals where he “aimed for realism over sheer entertainment.” One of them involved sending the veteran safety to Houston along with cash considerations for running back Dameon Pierce.
A fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Pierce ran for 939 yards as a rookie, but has been buried on Houston’s depth chart since. This season he has just 10 carries for 26 yards.
Following Antonio Gibson’s season-ending ACL tear, the Patriots have an obvious need at running back. Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer admitted TreVeyon Henderson was taken off the kickoff return team because New England only has two running backs on the 53-man roster at the moment. They can’t risk Henderson getting hurt on special teams.
Dugger has $6.5 million left on his deal this season, and Barnwell believes the Patriots would need to retain a significant portion of that to swing a deal for the 25-year-old Texans back.
“With Dugger’s salary a sunk cost, the Patriots would eat about $5 million of what’s left on his contract for 2025 as part of this deal, making Dugger a palatable backup behind (M.J.) Stewart for the Texans,” Barnwell writes.
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