FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced that they are utilizing the transition tag designation to extend their rights to S Kyle Dugger today. The tag is a one-year tender offer for the average of the top 10 salaries at the safety position.
"Kyle is a talented player with a strong work ethic who has improved every year and been extremely productive since joining our team in 2020," said Patriots Head Coach Jerod Mayo. "We value players with high character and chose to use the transition designation to give both sides more time to try to reach a long-term agreement, which is our goal with Kyle."
Dugger, 27, is a veteran of four NFL seasons with New England after joining the team as a second-round draft pick (37th overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Lenoir-Rhyne. The 6-foot-1, 216-pounder has played in 61 regular season games with 52 starts and has accumulated 319 total tackles, 2 1/2 sacks, 9 interceptions with two returned for touchdowns, 20 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. In 2022, Dugger had three defensive touchdowns with two interceptions returned for touchdowns and one fumble returned for a touchdown. Last season, Dugger started in all 17 games and finished tied for second on the team with a career-high 107 total tackles. He also registered 1½ sacks, 2 interceptions, 7 passes defensed and 1 forced fumble.
