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Patriots trade longest-tenured player to Steelers

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Oct 28, 2025 9:53 PM ET

The New England Patriots were active on the trade front ahead of their Week 9 contest against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Patriots reportedly dealt veteran safety Kyle Dugger and a seventh-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, New England received a sixth-round pick in return.

Trade: New England is sending safety Kyle Dugger and a 7th-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a 6th-round pick, per sources.

This is New England’s second trade today. It also sent edge Keion White and a 7th-round pick to the 49ers for a 6th-round pick. pic.twitter.com/gCxRkMq0Lp
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 28, 2025

The deal was the Patriots’ second of the day. New England also traded defensive end Keion White and a seventh-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for a sixth-round pick.

Dugger, who is in his sixth NFL season, was the Patriots’ longest-tenured veteran. The team drafted him 37th overall in 2020 and became a full-time starter midway through his rookie season. He held the role through last year, but lost his starting job this season. The Lenoir-Rhyne product finished top-3 on the Patriots in combined tackles in each of the last four seasons.

Through seven games this season (four starts), Dugger has tallied 17 tackles.

Like Dugger, White was also a former second-round pick drafted by the Patriots who got demoted to the bench with the arrival of new head coach Mike Vrabel. With a new regime in New England, the team felt the need to ship away two members of the old guard.

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

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