What Mike Vrabel said about Kyle Dugger working with the backups in practice
Dugger, who signed a big contract extension last year, has seen his reps with the starters decrease recently.
Veteran safety Kyle Dugger, who has been a mainstay in the Patriots‘ secondary for years, has found himself taking reps with the backups in practice recently.
It’s a surprising development for Dugger, who inked a four-year contract extension with the Patriots worth up to $66 million last spring.
On Wednesday, ahead of the Patriots’ joint practice with the Vikings in Minnesota, a reporter asked head coach Mike Vrabel what Dugger needs to do in order to regain his spot with the starters.
“Just making sure that he’s where he needs to be and understanding the coverage concepts and everything we do. Keep working and keep progressing. A lot of this is that guys have earned the right to take a look with that first unit and, again, there will be different lineups and different things. Just focus on the reps that you get right now.”
Safety is one of the Patriots’ deepest positions. Jaylinn Hawkins, who started 16 games for the Falcons in 2022, has made a push for more playing time.
“I think he’s done a nice job of coming in, communicating and playing pretty much all the different techniques that we’ve asked these guys to do on the back end,” Vrabel said of Hawkins. “I think he’s playing with some speed and plays with some physicality. You saw a couple passes out to the perimeter that he was on and tight coverage in the game.”
“I just really evaluated him and decided to get him back from last year. He did a nice job and played all special teams, played a lot of defense when guys went down. So, he’s continuing to take advantage of his opportunities, and then we’ll see where that goes.”
Jabrill Peppers has consistently been out there with the first team. Rookie Craig Woodson has also gotten some first-team opportunities.
Dugger, who has been one of the Patriots’ most productive defensive players over the past few years has seen his reps with the starters dip.
The 29-year-old defensive back is one of a few holdovers from the Bill Belichick era. He is coming off of offseason ankle surgery. Vrabel said his attitude has been great, but the other players seem to be pushing him for his spot.
There’s two more preseason games and a little less than a month’s worth of practice before the Patriots open the season at home against the Raiders on Sept. 7.
Dugger has some work to do if he wants to be a starter on opening day.
“He’s had a long recovery in the offseason,” Vrabel said. “He’s been out there, and he’s continued to get better and work, and I think the more that he practices, the better he’s going to feel and the more that it’s going to translate onto the football field.”
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