{"id":22164,"date":"2025-05-06T22:49:49","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T22:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=22164"},"modified":"2025-05-06T22:49:49","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T22:49:49","slug":"breaking-patriots-new-longest-tenured-player-gives-update-on-ankle-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=22164","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING : Patriots\u2019 new longest-tenured player gives update on ankle injury"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Patriots'<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been an offseason of change under new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.<\/p>\n

After Vrabel and the Patriots spent the offseason moving on from players who had won a Super Bowl with the franchise \u2014 like cornerback Jonathan Jones, defensive end Deatrich Wise, center David Andrews and long snapper Joe Cardona \u2014 safety Kyle Dugger, drafted in 2020, became the longest-tenured player on the roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt happened fast. From my rookie year to now, it\u2019s been a flash,\u201d Dugger told reporters Tuesday. \u201cIt makes me feel good to be with the organization for that long and it just lets me know as a leader, my role.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dugger signed a four-year, $58 million contract with the Patriots last offseason, but his first year under the new deal was a disappointment. Dugger ranked last among qualified safeties with a 44.3 defensive PFF grade. He was also last in PFF\u2019s coverage grade.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t help that the 29-year-old safety suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 and tried to play through it for most of the season. When asked for an update on the bone bruise and high ankle sprain, the 2024 captain said the injury is doing \u201cwell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really looking back to last year,\u201d Dugger said. \u201cKinda put it in the back of my mind and looking forward to moving on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dugger feels he\u2019s a good fit in Vrabel and defensive coordinator Terrell Williams\u2019 new scheme. It\u2019s unclear what role he\u2019ll play in a suddenly crowded safety room. Veteran Marcus Epps and fourth-round pick Craig Woodson joined a group that already included Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Jaylinn Hawkins, Dell Pettus, Brenden Schooler and Marte Mapu.<\/p>\n

\"Patriots<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be violent and aggressive, just like they want to be. So, I would say that fits my play style pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The veteran defensive back said the new regime has a \u201chigh emphasis on connectivity\u201d with coaches learning about the roster as individuals.<\/p>\n

If Dugger can rediscover his level of play from early in his career, it would give the Patriots\u2019 defense the boost it needs to be a strength this season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Safety Kyle Dugger is feeling good about his ankle injury and the Patriots\u2019 new regime this offseason.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[295,77,1046,531,74,18,370,227,439,225,1045,226,440,532],"class_list":["post-22164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-england-patriots","tag-2025-nfl-draft","tag-drake-maye","tag-eliot-wolf","tag-mike-vrabel","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-draft","tag-nfl-news","tag-nfl-rumors","tag-patriots","tag-patriots-2025","tag-patriots-news","tag-patriots-rumors","tag-robert-kraft"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING : Patriots\u2019 new longest-tenured player gives update on ankle injury - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=22164\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING : Patriots\u2019 new longest-tenured player gives update on ankle injury - 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