6 players the Patriots should NOT trade before the deadline

Kyle Dugger

Keeping with the idea that the Patriots should keep their homegrown talent, the same can be said about Kyle Dugger.

Besides earning himself the title of one of the most consistently productive players, Dugger has become the defense's secret weapon. His progression from an undervalued prospect out of a Division II school has been remarkable, and his improvements through the first four seasons of his career are the most noteworthy.

The last two seasons have proven that Dugger stands apart from others who play the position in the league, recording 170 combined tackles, ten tackles for a loss, four quarterback hits, seven interceptions with two returned for 155 yards and touchdowns, and 13 passes defended.

Although the start to the 2023 season has been slow for him, he's become one of the leaders on defense with the capabilities to help fill the void left by longtime pillar and recently retired Devin McCourty.

There's plenty of time remaining in the year for that to come to fruition, plus he has seemingly earned an extension as he's playing on the last year of his rookie contract. That should become a priority this offseason for Belichick, who has been building a dominant defense again in recent years, and Dugger's presence certainly adds to that moniker.

Much like teammates Jonathan Jones and Josh Uche, Dugger has been a prominent name speculated as one of the most likely to be traded over the next ten days. But unless the Patriots are completely sold on blowing things up, keeping Dugger holds more value than trading him for any draft pick.