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Patriots reportedly have an offer on the table for one veteran leader
"He did a fantastic job in his new role without having Devin there."
The Patriots will be flush with cap space this spring, with OverTheCap.com projecting New England with $78,070,006 in spending power.
New England might be well-positioned to spend heavily once free agency begins next month, but the Patriots will also have to account for several key cogs on their own roster who are also set to land on the open market.
And based on a report from MassLive.com’s Mark Daniels and Karen Guregian, the Patriots have already tried to make inroads on a new deal with one of their defensive leaders.
According to Daniels and Guregian, New England has already had “preliminary talks” with starting safety Kyle Dugger — with a contract offer already on the table.
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Dugger, 27, is expected to hit free agency in a few weeks — with the 2020 second-round pick out of Lenoir-Rhyne likely coveted by several teams if he goes to market.
Dugger has started 45 out of 47 games over the last three seasons with New England, playing in 98% of the Patriots’ defensive snaps in 2023. Along with his heavy reps, Dugger recorded 109 tackles, two interceptions, seven passes defended, and 1.5 sacks last year.
Speaking earlier this week at the NFL Scouting Combine, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo acknowledged that New England has prioritized retaining top contributors like Dugger and offensive lineman Mike Onwenu.
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“I love those guys,” Mayo said of Dugger and Onwenu while speaking to local media. “I love big Mike. I think he has the versatility to play guard or tackle. Look, one of those guys when he’s going, he’s dominant. With Dugger, I would say last year going into the season, there were some questions about can he communicate and all those things. He squashed all of that last year. He did a fantastic job in his new role without having Devin there.
“You definitely want those pieces to stay. Going back to what I talked about earlier, you develop through the draft, so if those guys say, obviously, they’ve been raised here and they can help push the culture forward.”
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