New England is unloading players from its previous regime.
The Patriots are trading safety Kyle Dugger and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Steelers in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round selection, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport added that as part of the deal, New England is paying most of the $5.4 million remaining from Dugger's $9.75 million base salary for 2025. The final two years on his contract have also been wiped out, per Rapoport, meaning Dugger will be a free agent following this season.
Dugger marks the second player reportedly traded by the Pats on Tuesday evening, with Pelissero previously reporting that New England is sending defensive end Keion White to the 49ers in a similar pick swap.
Though an eventual change of scenery was in the tea leaves since training camp, when Dugger was demoted to the second team amid Mike Vrabel's first preseason as head coach, it's still an abrupt turnaround for the 2020 second-round safety.
He signed a four-year, $66 million contract extension in April 2024, suggesting he was locked into a future roaming the secondary for the Patriots, but that was under a different coaching staff -- and now that deal has mostly been eliminated. Dugger has started just four of seven games for a New England defense under Vrabel that is currently ranked fourth in points allowed; he has 17 tackles and little else on the stat sheet.
He's been a solid player throughout his career, though, amassing 441 tackles, nine interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), 3.5 sacks and three forced fumbles across 81 games.
His playmaking ability is exactly what Pittsburgh needs as the Steelers deal with injuries and an underperforming defense.
The Black and Gold sit atop the AFC North at 4-3, but Mike Tomlin's bunch is reeling of late, having lost two straight games in which they gave up 68 combined points. Safety DeShon Elliott suffered a hyperextended knee in the team's Week 9 loss to the Packers and is going on injured reserve, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, so the acquisition of Dugger provides Pittsburgh with a potential replacement for the time being, plus excellent depth whenever Elliott is able to return.
A week out from the Nov. 4 trade deadline, the Steelers are making moves to keep pushing for their first divisional title since the 2020 season.
