New England Patriots safety Kyle Dugger. Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Safety Kyle Dugger would be big loss for Patriots following ankle injury

By Andrew Marshall | Last updated 10/26/22

Per the Boston Herald , Patriots safety Kyle Dugger missed Wednesday's walkthrough after suffering an ankle injury in Monday's loss to the Bears. It's a major loss if Dugger misses any time.

In a league filled with secondary players who can struggle to tackle, Dugger is a physical matchup player who can really hit.

After giving up a chunk play to David Njoku, Kyle Dugger stopped this Browns drive in its tracks.

Three straight plays: No. 23 on the stop. pic.twitter.com/0E9R9SZ0Zq
— Chris Mason (@ByChrisMason) October 17, 2022

Injuries have been part of the story with Dugger. He missed one game this season and left early in two, playing exactly 32 percent of the snaps against the Bears and Steelers.

Dugger shows star qualities when he plays. In 2021, the third-year player had four interceptions and 92 tackles and was off to a great start this season with 24 tackles, an interception, a 59-yard fumble recovery for a TD, and a number of big hits.

#Patriots film: Kyle Dugger was a beast Sunday, and he did everything. Ev-ery-thing.

Run force, fitting inside, playing man-to-man, zone drops, blitzing, etc.

A sample: back-to-back plays where he bulldozed Kareem Hunt in blitz pickup and then obliterated a short crosser. pic.twitter.com/4rJ9wxXrrn
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) October 17, 2022

Dugger is a player the Patriots can build around. He's an exceptional athlete with a unique backstory as a 24-year-old prospect from Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University.

New England's problems aren't going to be solved overnight. Giving up 243 rushing yards at home and allowing the Bears to convert 11-for-18 third downs should serve as a reality check that they need more than just Dugger's help.

The last-place Patriots (3-4) play at the surging Jets (5-2) on Sunday.

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