Wednesday Patriots Notebook 8/27: Dugger Sticks, Changes Still Likely Coming
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Some Patriots news and notes for this morning:
1) Dugger Sticks: Heading into yesterday’s final Patriots 53-man roster cuts, the biggest question was whether or not the club might make one or more trades to move on from a couple of players, and which established veterans the club might move on from.
The former didn’t happen. New England did reportedly test the waters on moving on from defensive players Kyle Dugger and Anfernee Jennings, with receiver Kendrick Bourne also among a group the club put out there. But as many sort of expected, the team apparently couldn’t find any takers. Instead, all three ultimately ended up on the current roster to begin the 2025 season.
According to the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan, Dugger’s contract was reportedly the biggest hurdle the team couldn’t clear as they tried to move him. That’s not a surprise as it looks like, based on how it was structured via Spotrac in terms of the dead cap money, the Patriots left the door open for themselves for an out next season, likely not expecting his play to diminish so quickly.
What’s interesting in the case of Dugger has been how many times Mike Vrabel has defended him this preseason. It seems like it was never a case of Dugger becoming an issue in the locker room or necessarily being a bad player. It was simply the fact that Dugger wasn’t playing at the level they needed him to.
However, as a former player, Vrabel gets it. Everyone on the outside might think Dugger’s ankle was 100% healthy and that he simply wasn’t playing well. After all, the veteran certainly made that claim during camp, and he’s been in the spotlight ever since.
“I feel really, really good. I feel great,” said Dugger back in July. “Can’t really put time on it, but it feels good now, so that’s all I’m worried about.”
“I’m just excited about the year, excited about the team, and I am very excited to be healthy. But I’m not thinking about last year and showing people and things like that. I’m just really focused on having a great year with his defense, with his team.”
Still, that didn’t appear to be the case, and it became more obvious as camp went on. As the media noticed a drop off in both his play and his place on the depth chart, Vrabel started hearing the questions. But Vrabel never echoed those criticisms. He’s been consistent in his praise as Dugger has continued pushing forward, and his comment following Thursday night’s contest was telling, and it did provide some context ahead of yesterday’s cuts.
“I think that he’s continued to take advantage of the opportunities and the reps, and I think he’s feeling more comfortable,” said Vrabel following last Thursday night’s preseason finale. “We talked about a long rehab process in the offseason that he committed to, but it wasn’t a quick rehab process. I mean, he had surgery.”
“I think that he’s gotten better. I think he’s improved. I think he’s feeling better. It looks like he’s feeling better on tape. That’s good to see. Those are all positive things. Making a play, two interceptions. I thought he flashed. I thought he triggered. I thought he tackled. I thought his length showed up, all these things. And we didn’t blitz anybody tonight. We didn’t do any of that, but just playing in our base scheme. Those things, I thought, showed up tonight.”
Dugger ended up finishing tied for the team lead in tackles with Kobee Minor this preseason, having tallied 11 tackles, as well as two interceptions and three passes defended. He finished Thursday night with six tackles, along with one interception and two passes defended.
Despite being out there going against players who were likely among yesterday’s massive purge, Dugger played each snap the same. He closed out the preseason by making a big statement after his showing against the Giants, and Vrabel clearly both noticed and appreciated those efforts.
The only question now might be how much time he sees during the regular season and whether or not he’ll ultimately become just an expensive depth player. But give him credit. His approach hasn’t changed, and he’s continued working hard. Considering all of the conversations, that shouldn’t be overlooked.
How he’s used will be something to keep an eye on as well. Vrabel was asked a while back whether or not we might see Dugger possibly be moved to linebacker, similar to what we saw with Marte Mapu. Vrabel didn’t rule it out and you would have to think if they’re going to keep him around, especially considering his salary, they’ll probably try and figure out a way to get their money’s worth from him.
2) Patriots cut ties with Strange: One other notable move on Tuesday came as the club moved on from former first-round pick, Cole Strange.
Strange’s situation is certainly a disappointing one. He’s taken significant heat from the time he was drafted due to where he was taken, and that chatter never really went away. He went 29th overall in 2022, which shocked everyone at the time until some details came out later on.
Following a trade back from 21 to 29, there were multiple surprises that likely altered their projections when it came to who they were really targeting. There was a significant run on highly-touted defensive players from that point, with Quay Walker, Kaiir Elam, Jermaine Johnson II, Devin Lloyd, and Devonte Wyatt each coming off the board, and things were likely thrown off due to how many teams suddenly traded up in front of them.
The Packers, Bills, Jets, and Jaguars, respectively, all jumped back up into the fray ahead of the Patriots that year, which likely led to some frustration in the war room for Bill Belichick and his staff.
With Strange being someone they liked and someone who reports after the fact that teams were looking at him in round two, Belichick seemed to view the 29th pick as an early second round selection with the caveat of having the option of a fifth-year option.
By all accounts, Belichick thought highly of Strange, believing he could be a cornerstone piece of the line. Having been through contentious negotiations with players like Logan Mankins while losing others to free agency, having the option to keep him at a relatively low cost for an extra year felt like it made sense.
But a knee injury in 2023 altered all of that and started Strange’s descent. He got hurt during the summer and reportedly needed surgery, yet he opted to play through it until he got hurt again in December, which sidelined him for the remainder of that year and nearly all of last season.
From there, he clearly wasn’t the same and his drop off this preseason was likely a result of that. Despite praise by Vrabel based on what he saw at the end of last year at center, Strange was never a factor there, and he ultimately also got pushed out of his spot at left guard.
Unfortunately, on Tuesday, he got pushed off the team completely as they now turn the page toward revamping an offensive line that still has some unanswered questions heading into this season.
3) The roster is likely still fluid: While the team may have settled on its initial group of 53, there are likely several players who should still be feeling uneasy despite surviving the initial cutdowns.
There are a couple of big question marks, with Javon Baker’s place on the roster certainly being one that raises some eyebrows.
There’s no question that he’s worked hard in camp and been someone who flashed enough on special teams as the likely reason he stuck around. What was interesting there was the fact Vrabel was spotted talking to him on bench following a tough series on offense Thursday night, with it being a pretty intense conversation as Baker was locked in as he spoke. That moment sort of gives you a glimpse into the relationship between the two, and how invested Vrabel is in him.
For Baker, it’s yet to translate onto the offensive side of things. He was targeted 11 times in the preseason, finishing with just one reception for 13 yards.
When separating those attempts out by quarterback, this is how it breaks down:
In theory, Baker essentially steps into a role similar to what long-time captain Matthew Slater held, which was a player who primarily played special teams but was also an added player on the depth chart as a receiver.
Slater was another guy who we saw a handful of targets but not many completions, having been targeted eight times over his career with just one catch. However, for Baker, the issue is that Slater’s role right now is essentially held by Brenden Schooler, who is a better safety than Baker is a receiver.
As a result, Baker’s taking up a roster spot that may not be set in stone. Following his deletion of his social media posts and the fact that he also unfollowed the team, many thought he might not be among the last players standing.
Instead, he’s survived the first wave of cuts. Whether or not he’s ultimately unseated by a player claimed on waivers remains a possibility, so he probably shouldn’t be feeling too comfortable.
One other name who might also not be safe is Caedan Wallace, who joined Baker among the last players standing. Wallace showed some versatility this summer and worked at guard, but he really never established himself.
With both Marcus Bryant and Vederian Lowe sticking around, the club has some depth at tackle and it felt like Ben Brown and Jared Wilson did enough over the summer to seemingly give them depth at guard. It’s possible the club could bolster the line with either a waiver claim or a free agent, and one would have to think that Wallace might end up being the odd man out there.
4) Practice Squad is now the focus: With so many players being waived on Tuesday, the question now is going to be how New England’s practice squad will shape up.
With defensive tackle David Olajiga being waived yesterday, the rumors seemed to indicate he might return to the practice squad. His presence would include an International Pathway exemption, which would allow him to join and not affect the club’s total number.
From there, linebacker Bradyn Swinson, who was among the players waived yesterday, is another name that could be brought back. Swinson was a fifth-round pick in this past 2025 Patriots Draft, although he had a fairly quiet preseason after finishing with just 2 tackles.
Reports yesterday indicated that running back Terrell Jennings might return, as well as linebacker Truman Jones.
Offensive lineman Alec Lindstrom was also another player rumored to be on the club’s practice squad, which would also help give a little bit of depth as someone who saw time at guard this preseason.
We’ll be following those transactions here, and will be updating our Patriots roster as those names get added.
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