Jan 1, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots safety Kyle Dugger (23) runs for a touchdown after intercepting the ball during the second half of agame against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

New Details Emerge in Steelers, Kyle Dugger Trade

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Ari Meyer | Last updated Nov 1, 2025 7:30 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a mid-season move this year, in an attempt to address issues with an ailing secondary.

The Steelers sent a sixth-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft to the New England Patriots in return for a seventh-round pick and veteran defensive back Kyle Dugger. At the time of the trade, it was unclear which pick the Steelers would receive, as the Patriots owned multiple sixth-round picks at the time the transaction was made.

The Official League Details

According to the National Football League's official transaction wire, the Steelers’ seventh-round pick that they are receiving in the Dugger deal is a sixth-round pick the Patriots acquired from the New Orleans Saints. The Steelers themselves are trading their own sixth-round pick, which is projected to be a drop of about 20 spots based on where teams fall in the standings at this point in the season.

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Additionally, the Patriots are set to retain a decent amount of Dugger's salary for this season. With a base salary for the year of $9.75 million, the Patriots are set to pay over half that at $5.4 million, meaning that the Steelers will pay for less than half of his contract while he is with the team.

Why Does It Matter?

The deal is relevant in a future sense for multiple reasons. First of all, despite it being a small margin, sixth-round picks do have a slightly better "hit" rate when it comes to turning draft talent into the best of the best in the league.

Also, the Steelers are set to host the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, so any selection they make will be highlighted to some degree. Whether that has an actual impact on who they decide to draft or what sort of personnel decisions get made is unclear at this point, but it will certainly have some sort of impact on how they go about the beginning of next offseason.

With serious depth issues at multiple positions on both sides of the ball, namely defensive back and wide receiver, the Steelers will need to land all the talent they can get in the upcoming draft, so giving up a sixth-round selection is harrowing. Getting a seventh that is projected to not be too far behind their sixth alleviates this a bit, but it is still a source of concern going forward for the.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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