The New England Patriots’ running back depth is thin after losing veteran Antonio Gibson in Week 5 to an ACL tear. With only two rushers on the roster, New England will most likely have to add a running back via trade by the deadline.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggests the Patriots trade for Houston Texans’ running back Dameon Pierce by sending safety Kyle Dugger in return. Barnwell also notes that Texans GM Nick Caserio was part of the front office that selected Dugger in the 2020 NFL draft.
Although the Patriots just re-signed Dugger, making him one of the highest-paid safeties in the league only over one year ago, moving on from him has seemed to be inevitable since Mike Vrabel became New England's head coach.
It’s worth mentioning that Dugger’s four-year, $58 million contract is the fourth-largest on the Patriots, but it holds the second-largest cap hit at $15,274,786. Moving on from the veteran this season will come down to how much money New England is willing to eat on Dugger’s deal.
That said, is Pierce the right option or is he the only option for the Patriots to add a running back?
Pierce fits the timeline in terms of age; he’s only 25 years old and in the middle of his fourth year in the NFL, but I’m unsure if he fits the model of a running back for the Patriots. He’s rarely been utilized as a receiver during his career, and that is an important concept of New England's offense.
Pierce also doesn’t offer much of a different running style than what Rhamondre Stevenson is already providing. Pierce doesn’t nearly fumble as much as Stevenson, but he doesn’t bring much else to the table that isn’t already being served.
Breece Hall, Not Pierce, Should be Patriots' Top Trade Target
Keeping Dugger on the roster has more value than adding Pierce. Even though the running back depth is thin, the depth at safety is also just as thin. It doesn’t make sense to add by subtraction when it makes another position weak.
Although Houston needs safety depth, there’s also another team that arguably needs more help at the position that Dugger could immediately provide for them in the New York Jets. In return, the Patriots would want to get Breece Hall, but they might need to offer more than just Dugger.
It’s worth noting that Hall is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, so this would be a one-year rental, but he fits the model of a Patriots running back, and he would be more of an impact addition for New England at the deadline.
With the way the Patriots (4-2) are currently playing as the top team in the AFC East, there’s a strong reason to believe that they need one more player to push them over the hump on offense to get the run game going.
As I said, it’ll cost more than just Dugger to get Hall, but the Patriots seem willing enough to eat the money and do whatever it takes to improve the team right now, even if that means moving on from their longest tenured player.
We’ve already seen an inter-division trade between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns for quarterback Joe Flacco, to the dismay of Mike Tomlin. Maybe the unwritten rule isn’t being followed as much anymore?
One last note on a potential trade involving Dugger. ESPN’s Adam Schefter also identified Dugger as a trade candidate for the Patriots this season. There is smoke there concerning Dugger and his future with New England. Whether that turns into an all-out fire remains to be seen.