The Pittsburgh Steelers have acquired safety Kyle Dugger from New England in hopes of giving the back end of the secondary another experienced option with starter DeShon Elliott out indefinitely with a knee injury.
15:57 ET, 29 Oct 2025
Kyle Dugger
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Kyle Dugger has been traded to the Steelers(Image: Michael Owens/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Steelers have made a strategic move to bolster their secondary by acquiring safety Kyle Dugger from New England, as they grapple with the loss of starter DeShon Elliott due to a knee injury.
Elliott was left visibly emotional after an injury on Monday Night Football. In exchange for Dugger and a seventh-round selection, Pittsburgh has sent a sixth-round pick in the 2026 draft to New England.
Dugger, who was a second-round choice by the Patriots in 2020, has made 17 tackles in seven games with New England this season. The seasoned six-year veteran boasts nine career interceptions, including two Pick-6s in 2022. He arrives at Pittsburgh after new footage emerged of Aaron Rodgers 'refusing' a jersey swap with Jordan Love.
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Elliott sustained a right knee injury during the second half of Pittsburgh's 35-25 defeat to Green Bay on Sunday night. Dugger will now join a safety group that includes Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers.
The Steelers' secondary is currently underperforming, ranking last in the NFL against the pass and having conceded over 700 yards in their last two games to Cincinnati's Joe Flacco and Green Bay's Jordan Love.
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The challenge won't ease up for Pittsburgh this weekend when they face AFC South-leading Indianapolis (7-1) and the NFL's top offense at Acrisure Stadium.
The Patriots also dealt Keion White to the San Francisco 49ers. Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said: “I think that with just the timing of everything and where we’re at as a team, we felt like it was the right thing to do. We’ve got a lot of guys in that room, and we just felt like at this particular time, to make those moves that we made with [Keion] and Kyle.
“Really going to make our focus here against the Falcons, a team that we don’t know much about, haven’t played in four or five years. So, we wish Keion the best, wish Kyle the best, appreciate their professionalism and added some other guys here to the roster, too.”