Kyle Dugger is one of the headliners on the list of pending free agents for the Patriots.
During the latest “Eye on Foxborough” podcast, former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich raved about the safety, and the importance of keeping him in town going forward.
“For me, if you look at Dugger, who is probably one of their best players, he’s going to get a ton of money, somewhere,” said Ninkovich, who is currently one of the hosts on the “The Dan and Ninko Show” podcast on Spotify. “I don’t know if the Patriots are going to pay him, but I do know that guys like that don’t grow on trees.”
BET ANYTHINGGET $250 BONUSESPN BET
21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
With that, Ninkovich believes Dugger should be a top priority for the team to re-sign, no matter who is calling the shots.
“You can’t find that guy,” Ninkovich said of Dugger. “In 2023-2024, it’s hard to find a physical, great-tackling secondary piece that you can put out there in the nickel or dime, you can put him on a receiver, you can put him on a tight end, or a back that’s really dynamic and he’s going to do a great job on him. Those guys are really, really hard to find. So you try not to let those guys walk out the door.”
The Patriots defense, as a whole, has managed to keep up its end of the bargain, even in a losing season.
Along with Dugger, Ninkovich also singled out the play of safety Jabrill Peppers.
“I like how physical he is, I like how big he is, I like how into it he is, how aggressive, how mentally he’s into it,” said Ninkovich, who was part of two Super-Bowl winning teams for the Patriots. “So I think he’s really been a key piece to this defense.
“The one thing I really haven’t seen since (Matthew) Judon is a true pass rush. So, their secondary has been amazing.”
NFL fans can wager online on Massachusetts sports betting with enticing promo codes from top online sportsbooks. Use the FanDuel Massachusetts promo code and the DraftKings Massachusetts promo code for massive new user bonuses.
