Kyle Dugger of the New England Patriots celebrates an interception in the end zone
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Kyle Dugger of the New England Patriots celebrates an interception in the end zone
If you told New England Patriots fans eight months ago that the player who had just wrapped up year one of a $58 million extension would be on the brink of getting cut, they wouldn’t believe you. But that might be exactly where Kyle Dugger stands just 48 hours prior to roster finalizations.
One thing has been clear since the first time we got a look at Mike Vrabel’s defense in Foxboro, the former second round draft pick is on the outside looking in. There doesn’t seem to be a place for the in-the-box, sure tackling style of safety in Vrabel’s shell.
Dugger opened up about the roster uncertainties in a one-on-one interview with ESPN.
Kyle Dugger’s Interview
ESPN’s Patriots insider Mike Reiss posted a sort of ‘state of the union’ address Sunday morning. In it he touched on everything from the kicking situation in the locker room, to the quarterback three debate. He touched on the status of veteran Kendrick Bourne, and Mike Vrabel setting his foot holds in Patriots’ culture.
Among all the news dump, the writer glossed over his one-on-one interview with the talk of the town, Kyle Dugger.
The first thing Dugger did was clear up any misconceptions that he might not be fully healthy, as well as eliminating it as a potential excuse one might accuse him of using.
“I don’t think the ankle is a factor,” he told Reiss. “Just a little bit of growing pains, honestly. All I can really do is take advantage of the opportunities I’m getting to play ball again.”
He also spoke on if he was experiencing what Reiss called “growing pains” under the team’s new scheme.
“It’s hard to say. It’s really hard to put it on one thing. But I know the comfortability I felt and I want to get back at that level. I know I can be. I know it will come. So that’s what I’m working to get back to,” Dugger said.
Then finally, when asked about the looming roster decision, Dugger kept it real.
“I understand it’s a business. I have to prepare for the good, the bad, and whatever happens,” Dugger told him. “So, I’m just trying to be present wherever I’m at. I’m not trying to think about the future.”
Dugger’s Roster Push Looking Up
I’ve been on record in my previous articles saying I have no idea how the Patriots cant make room for a 100+ tackler in their safety room. Scheme fit be damned, Dugger is an instinctual tackler and there has to be a spot for that somewhere.
It seems the tides may be shifting more that way as the final decision grows closer. On NBC Boston’s last roster projection, insider Phil Perry has the vet barely earning a spot.
“It’s a low bar, but Kyle Dugger might’ve been the best player on the field for the Patriots in the preseason finale,” Perry writes. “He could still be dealt to a team that views him as more of a scheme fit. But — as is the case with Jennings — he’s still an NFL-caliber player on a roster that could use as many as it can get its hands on. “