We're just two days away from teams needing to cut their rosters down to the final 53 for the 2025 season, and the Patriots have been making some moves ahead of the deadline. Immediately after their blowout loss to the Giants in the preseason finale, they announced 14 players were cut, leaving plenty of others left still to be cut.
Some of their more prominent names, like Kyle Dugger and Anfernee Jennings, have been the subjects of trade speculation in recent days, despite Mike Vrabel attempting to shut down those rumors last Thursday.
That was proven to be exactly what the new regime is attempting to do with NFL insider Ian Rapoport's latest news drop regarding Dugger's status in New England, as he revealed the Patriots are still hoping to trade the safety ahead of Tuesday's deadline.
The #Patriots are shopping safety Kyle Dugger, sources say, their starter the last five seasons.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 24, 2025
While Dugger thrived in New England and eventually earned a 4-year, $58M contract extension, the new staff appears to view him differently. He’s played deep into preseason games. pic.twitter.com/X4JUmqwFJp
Considering he's one of the only players the Patriots are willing to part with that should draw interest from teams around the league, it's unsurprising that Vrabel and Co. are hoping to get something out of his departure rather than cutting him for nothing.
However, they appear to be encountering an unexpected issue that could make the process more difficult than expected.
Kyle Dugger's stance with the Patriots couldn't be any more clear after the latest reports
Despite his solid career as a starter since joining the Patriots in 2020, the latest from reporters like The Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan suggests teams are not jumping on the phone to inquire about getting a deal done for Dugger.
That has become apparent since the Patriots had unofficially made him available for trade over the past week or two, so their chances of receiving some sort of return for the veteran seem more unlikely as each new day passes.
Bingo.
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) August 24, 2025
Dugger talks have not been going great, since he's been available for a while and is still on the team. The follow-up tweet about looking like himself in Thursday's preseason finale — after which Dugger admitted he's not yet — is the real tell. https://t.co/9Cp0zPRZXj
It makes the decision to trade him more questionable, as his current contract is likely a significant factor in why teams are staying away, but it could also be his declining performance this offseason.
He looked much better in the preseason finale last week, and he could be on the path to reverting to the player he once was. The problem is that Vrabel and Co. might not have the patience to see if that becomes a reality, and waiting could also deteriorate his trade value, which is also something they'd want to avoid.
Regardless, they've made it clear that they would prefer Dugger weren't on the team, and a primary reason for that, other than his lackluster production, is the continued rise of Jabrill Peppers, along with rookie Craig Woodson and Jaylinn Hawkins.
However, it won't matter if teams aren't willing to bite. So the new regime will have to decide if keeping Dugger around is a bad decision or if eating a lot of dead cap is the better of the two scenarios.