Unexpected Injury News Explains Key Patriot's Clear Drop-Off in 2024
Several New England Patriots experienced 2024 campaigns they'd love to forget, including safety Kyle Dugger.
The veteran defensive back looked like a shell of his former self after signing a four-year extension worth up to $66 million last April. He was consistently unreliable in coverage and as a tackler, ending the season as one of the most frustrating Patriots to watch defensively.
A lot of Patriots fans' frustration stems from the fact that they know Dugger is capable of more than he showed in Year 5. Now a few weeks into the offseason, it's been revealed that a nagging injury was likely the cause behind the 28-year-old's shocking decline.
Patriots Injury News: Kyle Dugger Underwent Offseason Surgery
On Friday, Dugger sat down with Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan to discuss the 2024 season, including that he recently underwent surgery on his right ankle. The former Lenoir-Rhyne defender rolled his ankle against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4 only to tweak it against the Houston Texans two weeks later.
Since that moment, Dugger's ankle plagued him.
"It was a ligament detaching. So it was actually getting worse then while I played on it and I didn't know," Dugger admitted, mentioning how he should've rested for another week. "I was told it was a bone bruise, which caused inflammation, and it caused the injury to get worse. I had no idea."
I caught up with #Patriots captain Kyle Dugger.
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) January 24, 2025
On the ankle injury that spoiled his 2024 season, undergoing surgery, taking accountability, a #Patriots team that needed to "grow up," and his recent chat with Mike Vrabel: https://t.co/V5JBlSy4cz pic.twitter.com/y7bbhbnlEM
Dugger mentioned how he "knew something was up" when his ankle continued to bother him. The Patriots thought daily treatment would help him in December, however, it quickly became clear that surgery was "unavoidable" and he ultimately underwent the procedure to repair his ankle on Jan. 9.
Hopefully, the offseason surgery combined with head coach Mike Vrabel's arrival helps Dugger return to form. The former 2020 second-round selection is in dire need of a bounce-back performance after finishing the 2024 schedule with the worst coverage mark (34.8) and third-worst defense grade (44.3) among eligible safeties on Pro Football Focus.
The Patriots will know more about if Dugger is on track to look like his old self when offseason workouts begin in early April.
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