Bill Belichick never hid his fascination with Kyle Dugger. At the 2020 Combine, Dugger looked like something out of a prototype lab: 6’1”, 217 pounds, nearly 33-inch arms, a 42-inch vertical, and an 11’2” broad jump. Belichick trusted his eye more than consensus, and at No. 37 overall, he shocked the league by plucking a safety out of Division II Lenoir-Rhyne. It wasn’t just a draft pick; it was a statement. For a time, that vision held. Now, Mike Vrabel is checking his options.

According to Polymarket Football on X, “The #Patriots say they’re “done with” safety Kyle Duggar, they’re looking to trade him.” In his rookie year, Dugger announced himself on the big stage, tallying 12 tackles in a gritty Sunday night win over the Ravens. In 2021, he began to show the playmaking chops Belichick bet on, an interception off Dak Prescott in overtime, another the very next week against Mike White, and a late-season pick against Trevor Lawrence that capped his breakout year. He finished with four interceptions, and it felt like the Patriots had found their future in the back end.

Then came 2022, Dugger’s peak came in October against the Lions with a fumble scoop and score, 59 yards to the house. The same year, he recorded a pick-six off Derek Carr, turning the game on its head. Three defensive scores in a single season, a stat line that screamed game-changer. But the story shifted quickly. In 2023, Dugger still played every game, even posted a career-high 15 tackles in Dallas against the Cowboys. He added two interceptions that season, one against Tua Tagovailoa, another against Sam Howell. But his consistency wavered, and the explosive plays became fewer and farther between.

By 2024, the decline was undeniable. Ankle injuries sidelined him for four games. When he returned, he wasn’t the same. His speed had dulled, his breaks on the ball came a half-second late, and quarterbacks no longer feared him. The numbers tell the blunt truth. 81 tackles, no interceptions, and a Pro Football Focus grade of 44.3, ranking him among the worst safeties in football. Just months after signing a four-year, $58 million extension with $32.5 million guaranteed, Dugger looked like a shadow of the player who once terrorized offenses.

This is where Mike Vrabel draws the line. Vrabel doesn’t carry Belichick’s memories of drafting Dugger or his pride in developing him. He looks at the present reality, a 29-year-old safety whose best years are behind him, taking up valuable cap space. Vrabel isn’t emotional about it; he’s calculating, pragmatic, and focused on reshaping the Patriots in his own image. And in that equation, Dugger is expendable. That’s what makes this story sting.

Dugger was one of Belichick’s final bold swings, the underdog athlete who climbed from obscurity to NFL stardom. For a few years, he looked like the bridge to the Patriots’ next era. But bridges sometimes collapse before they carry you across. Yet, the coach has found another way.

Mike Vrabel tries another linebacker

Mike Vrabel doesn’t waste roster spots. He’s a linebacker at heart, a coach who sees the game through the lens of toughness, range, and reliability. So when New England quietly brought in Luke Masterson for a visit, it wasn’t a courtesy call; it was a signal. Vrabel is looking for cheap, versatile depth, and Masterson might just fit that mold.

The numbers won’t wow anyone at first glance: 37 games, 10 starts, 103 tackles in three years with the Raiders. But he was a steady special teamer in 2022 and 2023, then got a bigger defensive role last October before a knee injury cut him down. That kind of resume doesn’t sell jerseys, but it’s exactly what New England has traditionally valued. Guys who do the dirty work, fill roles without complaint, and come cheap.

And cheap matters! A $2.5 million swing for a linebacker who’s still just 27 and healthy enough to run again? That’s classic Patriots. Especially when Vrabel, a linebacker himself, knows the traits that translate. Look back at the pre-draft sheet on Masterson, 6’2″, 234, arms just under 32 inches, 40 time of 4.65, shuttle at 4.29, three-cone at 7.03. Nothing elite, but nothing disqualifying either.

A coach sees that and thinks, baseline athleticism, coachable frame, special teams body. Add in 17 bench reps and a 34.5-inch vertical, and he checks the toughness box. His best year, 2022, he started seven games, made 59 combined tackles, and flashed a knack for being around the ball. Not disruptive, not splashy, but dependable. That’s what the Patriots are sniffing around for.

A linebacker who might never lead a defense but won’t sink one, either. Would he tilt the field for New England? No. Could he be the kind of glue guy Vrabel respects, the one who shows up in December when everyone’s hurt and tired? That’s the gamble. And at $2.5 million, it’s one the Patriots have made before, and usually been glad they did.