There have been a lot of questions surrounding the Patriots' defensive roster decisions over the last few weeks, most of which stemmed from the unexpected release of safety Jabrill Peppers days after the roster cut deadline.
Throughout the summer, he had looked like a roster lock, as he was barely on the field during the preseason, only to be abruptly released and leave the Patriots' secondary vulnerable going into the season opener. That was especially true when the future of Kyle Dugger looked sketchy at best, since he had been on the trade block in the days leading to the regular season.
By way of Peppers' release, Dugger then automatically earned a more prominent role on the defense, as the most tenured player in the safety room, which led to him being a shocking starter on Sunday.
However, that didn't last long, prompting even more questions about what the Patriots' plan is for the veteran for the rest of the season.
Kyle Dugger is still a fringe player on the Patriots' roster after Week 1
Getting the start was certainly notable for Dugger, since reports indicated the only reason he wasn't traded was that the Patriots wouldn't agree to taking on more of his contract than the teams hoping to acquire him.
However, unfortunately for him, it doesn't appear that their confidence has grown at all over the last few weeks because he was only on the field for seven snaps before being permanently replaced by players like Jaylinn Hawkins and Craig Woodson, both of whom had standout performances.
Kyle Dugger ended up playing just seven defensive snaps for the Patriots today, per PFF’s initial charting https://t.co/8UviavcEty
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) September 7, 2025
This seems to indicate that Dugger's future is far from certain in New England, and he's probably still a player they hope to trade before next month's deadline.
Whether they have changed their mind about taking on more of his contract to make sure that happens is unclear, but it's apparent that they'll have to do that if they want to move him for another player or draft capital.
That will be even more crucial if Hawkins and Woodson continue to impress with their performances, further proving that Dugger isn't as pivotal to their secondary's success as he once was.