On Tuesday night, the Patriots (6-2) made a pair of moves that should not have been a surprise to anyone that has paid attention to this team since the preseason.
First, news broke that the Patriots had traded defensive end Keion White and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the 49ers (5-3) in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick.
Only minutes later, news broke of the Patriots making a second move, as safety Kyle Dugger was traded to the Steelers (4-3) in exchange for yet another 2026 sixth-round pick. Important to note that the Patriots agreed to pay a significant portion of his remaining 2025 salary to facilitate the deal, with the Steelers voiding the final two years of Dugger's contract, making him a free agent after this season.
At one time, both of these players were thought to be a part of the future of this defense. Dugger had just signed a four-year deal in April of 2024 worth $58 million, with $32.5 million of that guaranteed. White was drafted 46th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, and showed flashes of someone who could one day be a special player throughout his rookie season.
But after a disappointing 2024 where Dugger never fully recovered from an ankle injury and White was only making headlines by what he was saying about one-and-done head coach Jerod Mayo to the media, both players were in need of a renaissance under new head coach Mike Vrabel.
Instead, the opposite happened.
Almost from the jump during training camp, Dugger was surpassed by rookie safety Craig Woodson, leading to the six-year pro playing deep into the final preseason game - almost always a bad sign for what that means for a players’ impact on the regular season 53-man roster. And after starting camp repping with the starters on defense, White was slowly phased out of the rotation, leading to a healthy scratch for Sunday’s Week 8 win over the Browns.
Instead of Dugger and White, the Patriots are now armed with 10 draft picks for next spring’s NFL Draft, giving them plenty of ammunition to make moves ahead of this season’s November 4 trade deadline. With the team sitting atop the AFC East and the conference’s top-seed well within play, New England is primed to make a move to help push them over the top.
Maybe it’s because there wasn’t much more to add. Maybe it’s because there was a lot more to add. Whatever the reason, Vrabel seemed unwilling to go too deep into why either move was made when meeting with the media on Wednesday.
Here’s the full exchange on both players, including an obvious deflection when asked specifically about White:
Question: Mike Smith said last month that Keion White was going to be a big part of what you guys do. Why did you feel it was important to move on now?
Mike Vrabel: “I think that with just the timing of everything and where we're at as a team, we felt like it was the right thing to do. We've got a lot of guys in that room, and we just felt like at this particular time, to make those moves that we made with him and Kyle [Dugger]. Really going to make our focus here against the Falcons, a team that we don't know much about, haven't played in four or five years. So, we wish Keion the best, wish Kyle the best, appreciate their professionalism and added some other guys here to the roster, too.”
Q: Mike, specifically on Keion, I know he played in the last preseason game, you gave him a shot there. He's also someone who started camp as kind of a first team, starter role. Why do you think ultimately it just didn't work out with him?
MV: “No, I'm not trying to figure those things out. I’m trying to prepare the team for the Falcons and wish him the best of luck. We have a huge challenge here. Again, taking on this great skill team offensively with a lot of speed and home-run-hitting ability. Defense, it hardly gives up a lot of yards; it’s certainly tough throwing the football against them. A.J. Terrell [Jr.]’s having another fantastic year. [Jessie] Bates [III], if you make a mistake, it may be a turnover. A lot of young rushers. So again, those are the things that I'm focused on right now.”
As Vrabel prepares for his team’s Week 9 game against the Falcons (3-4), the Patriots currently sit as a 5.5-point favorite at FanDuel. You can get them at -250 on the moneyline at BetMGM, and the total is currently sitting at 45.5.
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.