ESPN’s New England Patriots trade rumor highlights roadblocks for deadline deal originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New England Patriots are 5-2 and figure to be buyers at the NFL trade deadline, but there is an avenue for them to sell off at least one player.
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That player is none other than safety Kyle Dugger, who has had trade rumors swirling around him since he lost his starting job before the season.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that people around the NFL think Dugger would have been moved before the start of the campaign, but one of the roadblocks to trading him has been his contract.
That said, Fowler notes Dugger still garnered interest then and that is likely still the case now with less than two weeks to go before the trade deadline passes.
Another roadblock is the fact that the Patriots might need to hold on to Dugger with fellow safety Jaylinn Hawkins dealing with an injury. Hawkins was inactive in Week 7 because of a hamstring issue and has now missed two games in a row.
The belief in league circles is that Dugger would have been dealt before Week 1 but for his cost-prohibitive $9.75 million salary. There was interest then and could be again. Now that New England is sitting at 5-2, perhaps it will revisit a potential deal. However, Dugger has played a combined 102 defensive snaps over the past two weeks due to an injury to starter Jaylinn Hawkins, which might change things. Dugger would be a quality third-safety insurance for a team in contention.
Dugger would offer a versatile option for a safety-needy team, as he can play strong and free safety and is even an option for the slot. Adding to that, Dugger is under contract through 2027, so he could be more than a rental if all goes well.
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If the Patriots don’t intend to hold on to Dugger, they will likely have to eat some money in order to make a trade work, but that will also help New England land a better return.
Hawkins’ injury remains one to watch, as it could lead to the Patriots keeping Dugger. New England will have two more games to assess that situation before having to make a decision on its veteran safety.
