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Patriots $58 Million Starter Surprisingly in Danger of Being Cut

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Malik Brown | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 10:06 AM ET

The New England Patriots are looking to bring in a new era of football with the changes they made over the offseason. After a few disappointing seasons, they went out and hired a veteran head coach in Mike Vrabel, who is a former Patriot. Vrabel has had success in the league as a head coach, most notably with the Tennessee Titans.

The Patriots then grabbed some key free agents on both sides of the ball. It's certain they'll have a new identity going into this season. That could also mean that some of the players who were on the team in prior seasons could be on the roster bubble, and there's one name that has been consistently brought up.

Sixth-year safety Kyle Dugger was a key part of the Patriots' defense last season (81 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble in 13 games), and they even signed him to a four-year, $58 million contract last year. So far in training camp and preseason, his role has diminished, and there's a good chance he will be cut, according to NFL.com's Bobby Kownack.

"New England raised some eyebrows by demoting safety Kyle Dugger to second-team work in practice this August, then followed that up with giving him 41 snaps against reserves in last week’s preseason game against the Vikings, tied for most of any Patriots defender," Kownack wrote. "To point out the obvious, though, a player who signed a four-year extension just 16 months ago should look leagues beyond those playing at this point of preseason. Now the question is whether he’s done enough to continue playing for New England under that deal."

Dugger missed some time last season after dealing with an injury, and he could still be working his way back to getting to his normal self. But at this point, it might be too late for the safety.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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