For the Patriots, the 2024 season was one to mostly forget. But for star safety Kyle Dugger, it was difficult to forget, mostly because he played much of the year while battling severe ankle pain.
Dugger played 13 games last year, and started the final seven games of the season in a row, despite an injury to his right ankle. He recorded four passes defensed, a forced fumble and a sack, while also setting a career high in tackles for a loss, with eight.
Advanced stats, though, showed that it was a brutal year for Dugger, however. He missed a career-high 13 tackles, and allowed a 137.4 quarterback rating when opponents targeted him. He was, according to Pro Football Focus, rated the third-worst safety in the NFL in 2024, highly unusual for a player of his caliber.
After the season, Dugger underwent tightrope surgery to help the ankle. On Tuesday, he addressed reporters and offered an update. He was asked if it is feeling 100% and while Dugger did not go that far, he said, “It’s doing well.”
Kyle Dugger ‘Felt Like I Let the Team Down’
The injury originally occurred on September 29 when the Patriots were blown out by the 49ers, and Dugger originally only missed one week. He came back, but then sat out Weeks 8-10. Speaking in January, two weeks after the surgery, Dugger addressed the problem.
“I felt like I let the team down. And it was challenging because mentally, I couldn’t check out and recover,” Dugger told the Boston Herald. “Guys were still looking to me, and I still needed to watch film and help guys see things and make plays, things that I felt like a good captain, a good leader, would do. And I was struggling because I was dealing with my own frustrations about not being able to play and not understanding why.
“Being told, basically, a sprain was keeping me back. And I’m just like, this doesn’t make sense.”
Patriots Looking for a Fresh Start in 2025
Generally, speaking, though, Dugger was not very keen on speaking about the trials of 2024, which saw New England finish just 4-13, a record that cost coach Jerod Mayo his job. That was the same record the team posted in 2023 , the last season with Bill Belichick at the helm, and the eight wins was the worst-two year span for the franchise since 1992-93.
The Patriots will return what should be, when healthy, a tough safety combo of Dugger and Jabrill Peppers, and added Marcus Epps, who is coming off ACL surgery, as a high-upside gamble to the group.
When asked about it, Dugger said he is, “not really looking back to last year, kinda put it in the back of my mind and looking forward to moving on.”
Speaking about the vibe around the franchise now that new coach Mike Vrabel is in the building, Dugger said, “It’s positive. Real positive. Everybody’s excited for a fresh start.”
The Patriots will begin organized team activities on May 19.
