Bill Belichick speaks highly of impending New England Patriots free agent

Head coach Bill Belichick met with the media before practices kick-off for day two of New England Patriots training camp. During his media scrum, he talked about what practice would consist of and even talked about the newly retired Boston Bruin Patrice Bergeron.

As most of you know, we usually don't get very much from the future Hall-of-Fame head coach in these media availability sessions, but he did speak very fondly of an impending free agent for the Patriots following the season.

When speaking on Patriots safety Kyle Dugger, Belichick had this to say, "He's big, can run, can tackle, cover, blitz. Those guys are great. That's why they go high in the draft. There's a premium for them, and they get paid a lot of money. That's what they bring."

My initial reaction was, does that mean a deal is close or in the works to get done here before the season?

The other side of the coin is, if a deal is not imminent, why is Belichick showing all his cards with an upcoming negotiation with the young safety? These words could be used against the Patriots' front office in forthcoming negotiations with the 27-year-old.

Last season Dugger tallied 78 total tackles with three interceptions, two of which were taken back for touchdowns. The four-year pro was a huge part of the Patriots' defensive success last season and expected to be an even bigger part with the departure of Devin McCourty.

On day one of the Patriots training camp, Dugger's impact was already felt.

During the red zone action of practice, the young safety had an interception on starting quarterback Mac Jones. While covering new free agent addition Mike Gesicki, Dugger was able to go up and snag the ball from the air and pick off Jones.

It will be interesting to see how this all plays out for Dugger. One thing is clear, Belichick and his staff want to have the young safety as a Patriot going forward.

Will we hear of a deal in the coming weeks? Or will this be a wait-and-see approach until the offseason to see if the talented fourth-year pro will remain in New England for the future?