Patriots Predicted to Cut Ties to $58 Million Team Captain Drafted by Belichick

In a report published a month ago, Boston Globe sportswriter Ben Volin noticed something interesting about the new regime of first-year head coach Mike Vrabel. Very quietly, without any fanfare, Vrabel was systematically purging the organization’s ties to the coach who led New England to six Super Bowl championships — Bill Belichick.

Now, according to a prediction by USA Today Patriotswire scribe Cam Garrity, the most shocking purge yet may be on the way before the season begins in September.

A team captain and leader of the Patriots defense since Belichick made him a second-round draft pick in 2020 may be among the roster cutdowns between now and Week One kickoff on September 7, according to Garrity.

2020 Belichick Pick May be Next Victim of Vrabel Purge

If, in fact, sixth-year safety Kyle Dugger is a victim of Vrabel’s purge, the Patriots defense would lose its elder statesman, even though the 29-year-old from Decatur, Georgia, has played only five seasons with the team. Vrabel has already eliminated the final players who played on Super Bowl-winning teams under Belichick.

Vrabel accomplished that when he released center David Andrews, who played on the Patriots Super Bowl champions in the 2016 and 2018 seasons, after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2015. Rather than attempt to continue his career after being let go by Vrabel, the 32-year-old Andrews chose to retire.

Coming into the organization in 2020, not only has Dugger — who signed a four-year, $58 million contract extension before last season — not been part of a Patriots Super Bowl, he has experienced just one winning season.

That came in 2020 when the Patriots, led by rookie quarterback Mac Jones, won 10 games and qualified for the playoffs. Though they lost their lone playoff game to the Buffalo Bills, the game remains the only postseason appearance by New England since the 2019 season, the last one with legendary quarterback Tom Brady at the helm.

“This move would be a true shocker. Kyle Dugger has been a captain, a tone-setter and one of the Patriots’ most dynamic defenders since entering the league. But heading into 2025, his spot may be more fragile than people realize,” Garrity wrote on Friday.

Draft of Woodson May Render Dugger ‘Redundant’

The draft pick this year of Cal safety Craig Woodson in the fourth round, along with eight-year veteran Jabrill Peppers, may render Dugger’s services extraneous, the Patriotswire writer believes.

“It’s hard to imagine Dugger not in a Patriots uniform, but if roster math and positional overlap get tight, don’t rule it out,” Garrity wrote. “He could be seen as redundant at box safety with Peppers and Woodson fitting more of the aggressive style of defense they want to play. Plus, he is not as great in coverage as you would like in this new defense.”

Dugger’s performance has declined in the past two seasons, as well. After intercepting nine passes from 2021 to 2023, Dugger did not pick off a single pass last year, when he played in only 13 games. It was the first time since his rookie season, when Dugger appeared in 14 games but started only seven, that he recorded zero interceptions.

“New coach Mike Vrabel has been holding a liquidation sale in Foxborough: Everyone connected to Jerod Mayo and Bill Belichick must go,” Volin wrote in his May 7 report. “Of the 88 players on the Patriots’ roster, 40 are new since mid-March — 14 veterans and 26 rookies. The lineup projects to have at least 10 new starters from last year, likely more.”

None of that bodes well for Dugger’s status on the 2025 Patriots roster.